Ai Enma is depicted as a strikingly beautiful young girl with a delicate, dainty frame. She possesses pale skin and long, waist-length jet black hair styled in a hime-cut with bangs. Her large ruby-red eyes, which were originally brown, reflect the trauma of being buried alive by her villagers, while her light pink lips are visibly delicate.

Despite her youthful appearance, which gives her the look of a thirteen-year-old, Ai has maintained this guise for over four hundred years due to her sacrifice by her villagers at a young age.

In the series, Ai typically wears a predominantly black seifuku in her own world and the mortal realm. However, when she performs her duties of guiding souls to Hell, she dons a kimono that changes its design with each season:

• Season 1: The kimono features large floral patterns, marking her initial attire as Hell Girl.
• Season 2: This kimono is adorned with sakura petals, symbolizing beauty and transience.
• Season 3: The design showcases fans and toy air balloons, with patterns that appear to move.
• Season 4: A black kimono mostly covered in flowers, butterflies, and strings, complemented by a golden obi decorated with flowers.

Initially, Ai Enma exhibits a cold and detached demeanor, a stark contrast to her previous self before becoming Hell Girl. In emotionally charged situations, she remains unfazed and composed, often appearing silent and serious. Ai speaks sparingly, only when necessary, and her conversations are typically focused on conveying essential information or correcting others when needed. This introverted nature stems from the emotional barriers imposed on her when she was transformed into Hell Girl.

As the series unfolds, Ai gradually becomes slightly more expressive and less cold, though the change is subtle. Her interactions with clients and victims show a bit more variety and less somberness, and she occasionally engages in light mockery similar to her companions before sending clients to Hell.

Ai also demonstrates increased concern for more innocent clients and victims. A notable instance occurs when she comforts a woman asking for reassurance that Ren, one of Ai’s companions, will watch over her daughter after she chooses to end her own life to spare her child from Hell.

Over time, it is revealed that the Master of Hell ordered Ai to suppress her emotions before she became Hell Girl. However, she occasionally defies this order, allowing her feelings, particularly hatred, to influence her actions. This defiance becomes apparent near the end of the first season when she seeks revenge for the actions of Sentarou Shibata against his descendants, Tsugumi and Hajime Shibata. Despite her struggles, Ai urges Tsugumi to ask her to send her father to Hell, and in a moment of rebellion, she burns down the temple that Sentarou had constructed for her centuries ago, indicating her refusal to accept his repentance.

Despite her efforts to mask her emotions, Ai experiences fleeting moments of vulnerability throughout the series. For instance, when forced to send an innocent person to Hell, she internally screams in anguish, unable to voice or act upon her feelings. These glimpses of her emotions, including tears welling in her eyes, reveal the complex inner turmoil she grapples with beneath her stoic facade.

Ai Enma was born in the early 1600s in the small, rural Japanese town of Mutsumi Village. Throughout her childhood, she faced relentless teasing and bullying from the other village children, who believed her to be an evil spirit endowed with “special powers.” They even claimed to have witnessed her resurrecting a dead butterfly, a claim Ai refuted, insisting the butterfly was never dead.

Despite the bullying, Ai’s cousin, Sentarou Shibata, always defended her and stood up to the other children. However, when Ai turned seven, the village elders selected her for a ritual sacrifice intended to appease the mountain god and ensure a fruitful harvest. This ritual, known as the “Seven Sending,” required the offering of a seven-year-old girl every seven years.

Ai’s parents vehemently opposed the decision, secretly arranging for Sentarou to keep her hidden in the woods, bringing her food, clothes, and companionship. Their bond deepened during this time, and while both developed romantic feelings for each other, they were unable to confess these feelings. It is implied that Ai intended to reveal her emotions before the tragic events that would forever alter her life.

As the village’s crops began to fail, rumors spread that Sentarou was sneaking away to visit Ai. The villagers followed him, discovering her location. After a brief pursuit through the mountains, Ai was forcibly returned to the village, where she faced punishment and was buried alive alongside her parents. In a heart-wrenching moment, a despairing Sentarou was made to shovel dirt onto Ai’s grave.

Betrayed by Sentarou and the villagers, Ai vowed revenge against both those who wronged her and the one person who had once stood by her side. After breaking free from her grave, Ai unleashed her wrath, burning down Mutsumi Village and all its inhabitants, except for Sentarou, who had already fled. As he watched the village burn, Sentarou laughed, possibly out of relief that Ai was alive and had avenged herself.

With her resurrection and the destruction of the village, Ai attracted the attention of the Master of Hell, who decided to punish her for her vengeful actions. He revealed that he held the souls of her parents hostage and offered her a pact: in exchange for their souls, Ai would become the messenger of hatred and vengeance. To fulfill her new role, the Master of Hell ordered Ai to suppress her emotions and become an observer of human suffering. Faced with no other option, Ai accepted her fate as Hell Girl.

For centuries, Ai traveled throughout Japan, acting as the harbinger of vengeance for those consumed by hatred. Clients would summon her by means of a straw doll adorned with a red string, allowing them to seek revenge on their tormentors. However, Ai cautioned her clients that pulling the string would mark them, condemning their souls to Hell upon death.

Once summoned, Ai donned her kimono and performed her duties, presenting the recipients with illusions reflecting their sins before ferrying their souls to Hell. During her time as Hell Girl, Ai inhabited a house in an alternate dimension known as the Realm of Eternal Twilight, where she occasionally received visits from the Master of Hell in the guise of a spider.

Over time, Ai’s methods of contact evolved. Initially, clients used Ema tablets—stones inscribed with the recipient’s name. In the early 20th century, Ai advertised her services through blank newspaper ads. In the modern age, the Hell Link, a website where clients could write the names of those they wished to condemn, became the primary method of summoning her. However, this system only worked at midnight and was valid solely for those filled with intense hatred, often resulting in innocent people being sent to Hell due to the clients’ vendettas.

Throughout her journey, Ai gathered three companions: Wanyuudou, Ichimokuren, and Hone Onna. Wanyuudou, initially the left wheel of a carriage turned yokai, joined Ai after she convinced him to stop frightening people. Ichimokuren, a katana, was released from the earth by Ai after she encountered him on a battlefield. Hone Onna, a former prostitute who met a tragic end, became one of Ai’s assistants after Ai encountered her in her skeletal form. Together, they formed a close-knit group, supporting each other in their missions and developing deep respect for Ai.

Four centuries passed, during which Ai delivered the hatred of countless souls, managing to suppress her own feelings and bury the painful memories of her past. The popularity of the Hell Link surged, especially among teenagers, as information spread more rapidly in the modern era.

One day, Ai crossed paths with Tsugumi Shibata on a train. This encounter established a telepathic link between them, though the reason remained unclear. The connection allowed Tsugumi to see through Ai’s eyes and identify potential clients and recipients, with both attempting to halt the cycle of vengeance. Ai remained largely indifferent to their efforts, seemingly aware that they could not break the cycle of hatred.

This dynamic shifted when Ai received a client request that turned out to be a trap set by Gilles de L’Enfer, who managed to awaken Ai’s buried memories. After sending Gilles to Hell, Ai glimpsed Sentarou in the distance, reigniting her past. As she pieced together her memories, she used her link with Tsugumi to communicate with Hajime Shibata, Tsugumi’s father, eventually discovering he was a descendant of Sentarou.

As the plot unfolded, Ai learned about Hajime’s neglect of his wife, which paralleled her own inability to forgive. This revelation fueled her resentment towards Hajime, leading her to attack him and Tsugumi. Despite her companions’ warnings, Ai’s anger propelled her to strike them with dark energy. In a moment of conflict, Ai attempted to send Hajime and Tsugumi to Hell but was sent to Hell herself instead.

Awakening on a boat to Hell, piloted by the Master of Hell, Ai refused to accept her fate. She managed to escape and returned to confront Hajime and Tsugumi, attempting to persuade Tsugumi to take revenge on her father by revealing the truth about her mother’s death. In this confrontation, Ai’s companions sought to protect her, revealing their commitment to her well-being.

Ultimately, Ai’s efforts were in vain as Tsugumi rejected the idea of revenge, choosing to forgive her father instead. This pivotal moment led Ai to reflect on her past, culminating in a cathartic release of her emotions as she destroyed the Seven Child temple—symbolizing her forgiveness towards Sentarou. Ai and her companions then left the temple, while Tsugumi and Hajime returned home.

In the second season, Ai encountered Takuma Kurebayashi, recognizing a shared fate between them. She empathized with his innocence, deciding not to send him to Hell. However, Kikuri, possessed by the Master of Hell, punished Ai for failing her task by making her mortal. Later, after Takuma witnessed the death of Hotaru, he sought revenge, ultimately leading to chaos and misunderstanding in the village.

In the third season, Ai possessed Yuzuki Mikage’s body, a ninth-grade student. Eventually, Ai regained her own body and revealed to Yuzuki that she would be the next Hell Girl. In a climactic moment, Ai demonstrated her emotions, forcing the Master of Hell to stop Yuzuki from taking her place, thereby accepting her own role as Hell Girl once again.

Dark Energy: Ai possesses the power to unleash formidable blasts of black energy, which she first displays during her confrontation with the Shibata family when her memories and hatred resurface.

Teleportation: Ai can instantaneously transport herself from one location to another, often startling clients as she appears without warning.

Transporting Souls to Hell: Ai can claim the lives of those who torment her clients without needing physical contact. After terrifying them with vivid illusions, she causes their demise as floral patterns from her kimono envelop them, leading them to dissipate. Following this, she ferries their souls across the Sanzu River to Hell.

Possession: While this ability is rarely observed, Ai has shown the capacity to inhabit the body of another individual. This is notably demonstrated when she takes control of Yuzuki Mikage’s body during a period of her own physical death, using it to fulfill her role as Hell Girl. Later, after the Gate to Hell temporarily opens, she regains control of her original body.

Illusion Manipulation: Ai can craft elaborate illusions that serve to intimidate her victims before she sends them to Hell. She has also employed illusions to persuade individuals, such as attempting to convince Tsugumi Shibata to seek revenge against her father.

Foreseeing Grudges: Ai can reveal to someone the future consequences of their grievances. This ability is highlighted when she shows Yuzuki Mikage the potential outcomes of holding onto her anger.

Resurrection: After being buried alive, Ai manages to rise from her grave, marking her return to exact vengeance on her village. Additionally, during the Six-Mon Lantern festival, she may have resurrected herself, though the circumstances surrounding this event raise questions about the timing of her revival.

Fire Manipulation: Ai has demonstrated the ability to conjure fire, seen during two significant instances: when she incinerates her village with a mere gesture and when she creates a fiery blast to obliterate the temple built by Sentarou. This power appears to be linked to her emotional state, particularly her anger.

Seeing the Past: Ai can reveal the past experiences of individuals, a skill she utilizes multiple times throughout her journey, including significant moments in the first season and in “Two Mirrors.”

The name Ai (あい) is written in hiragana in the manga, and it is a common girl’s name in Japan that translates to “love” or “affection.”

Her surname, Enma (閻魔), combines two kanji: “閻” (en), meaning “village gate” or “good-looking,” and “魔” (ma), which translates to “devil.” This name is associated with the “Yama King” and the “judge of the dead” in Japanese mythology. Additionally, it can refer to “Yamarāja,” the lord of death.