Fans of Hazbin Hotel are likely watching Helluva Boss to the time during the hiatus, but a recently released episode makes things confusing regarding who has dominion of VivziePop's vision of Hell. Hazbin Hotel dropped on Prime Video in early 2024, an adult animated musical series about Lucifer's daughter attempting to rehabilitate sinners so they can go to Heaven. It is loosely connected to creator Vivienne Medrano's other animated series taking place in Hell, entitled Helluva Boss, and available on the VivziePop YouTube channel. Helluva Boss follows a company of assassins carrying out hits in the living world.

Both series boast vibrant animation, hilarious casts of unfiltered characters, striking musical numbers, and undercurrent storylines about acceptance and redemption. With main character of Hazbin Hotel is Lucifer himself, it sets up some stringent world-building that is easy to go against later.

The New Helluva Boss Episode Introduced Satan As The Ruler Of Hell

Satan Shows Up In Helluva Boss Season 2, Episode 11, His First On-Screen Appearance In The Hellaverse

Satan standing over Stolas in Helluva Boss

Things take a dark turn for I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals) in season 2, episode 11, "Mastermind." The law finally realizes that Blitzø (Brandon Rogers) and his employees were illegally going to the mortal world for some time. They are all brought before a jury including Satan (Patrick Page) and personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins. They are almost immediately all sentenced to death; Blitzø claims that the others were only following orders to save their lives, then his ex, Prince Stolas (Bryce Pinkham), shows up and saves his life by claiming everything was his master plan.

Patrick Page is known for originating the role of Hades, another ruler of the afterlife/underworld, in the Broadway production of Hadestown.

This is the first time Satan is seen in person in Helluva Boss, although he is regularly referenced. Satan is presumably the ruler of Hell and is presiding over the swift trial. This assumption is backed up by the titular musical number, during which he sings the words: "I am the mastermind, and here, I am the law! I've ruled the endless dark, since long before the Golden Angel's fall!" However, this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it confirmation of Satan's dominance is what poses a problem for the Hellaverse.

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VivziePop Has Created Clever Iterations Of All Seven Deadly Sins In Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss

While Lucifer may be another name for Satan in the most well-known biblical canon, Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel present Satan and Lucier as entirely different characters, the latter being voiced by Jeremy Jordan. Hazbin Hotel includes overlords as part of the power structure in Hell, who own the souls of sinners who have bargained with them; Helluva Boss depicts a vaguely defined network of royal demons who have some kind of hierarchy answering to Satan/Lucifer at the top.

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Prince Stolas is one of these royal demons, while the imps (Blitzø, his employees, and their families) are the working class of hell. Characters who are personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins are also said to be royal demons. Sin characters who have appeared on the show before include Asmodeus "Ozzie" (James Monroe Iglehart) for Lust, Beelzebub "Queen Bee" (Kesha) for Gluttony, and Mammon (Michael Cusack) for Greed.

VivziePop is evidently drawing upon various religious texts when it comes to naming her other demons and splitting up Lucifer and Satan is actually interesting world-building.

According to Vivienne Medrano (via YouTube), Lucifer is Pride while Satan is Wrath. VivziePop is evidently drawing upon various religious texts when it comes to naming her other demons and splitting up Lucifer and Satan is actually interesting world-building. Lucifer is not present during Blitzø's trial, while the other Sins appear to all be there. Due to friendly relationships established with the main cast in previous episodes, Ozzie and Queen Bee are the only ones to stick up for Blitzø and ask for a fair trial for I.M.P.

Lucifer Is Presented As The Ruler Of Hell In Hazbin Hotel

There Is No Question That Lucifer Is The One In Charge Of Everything In Hazbin Hotel

The contradictory element of Helluva Boss' "Mastermind" episode is the brief lyric that suggests Satan lords over Hell. Hazbin Hotel, which is said to be taking place in the same setting, regularly shows characters referring to Lucifer as the definitive authority over everyone in Hell. Charlie (Erika Henningsen) is referred to as its princess and the heir to the throne. Notably, Hazbin Hotel tells a story that is much more concerned with the people at the top of Hell than Helluva Boss. In this story, Lucifer seems to prefer to hand over istrative responsibilities to Charlie or someone else.

Charlie standing in Hell from Hazbin Hotel Season 2

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However, Satan is the one overseeing the trial because of how VivziePop wanted this scene to play out, with Stolas having to rescue Blitzø and losing everything because of it. Lucifer might not have particularly cared about what happened to Blitzø and the others either, but he is at least characterized as friendlier than Satan. Part of the point of "Mastermind" is the mercilessness of Satan, and that Blitzø never really stood a chance once he got caught. However, Lucifer's absence from the proceedings raises questions about the lore of the Hellaverse.

The fandom has broadly assumed (via Reddit and other forums) that Satan is standing in for Lucifer, who mostly stepped away from leadership following the end of his marriage. However, Satan still claims that he has "ruled the endless dark, since long before the Golden Angel's fall," rather than being a relatively recent replacement. The various Sins' exact power over different rings of Hell is also vague, prompting the biggest question about the two series' acknowledgment of each other.

How Much Do Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss Follow Each Other's Continuity?

Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss Don't Look Each Other In The Eye That Often

Vivienne Medrano has said she would enjoy doing a crossover with Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (via The Direct). Various Easter eggs and references in both shows constitute small-scale crossover moments. Medrano also occasionally uses the designs of the Helluva Boss characters as extras in Hazbin Hotel, and vice versa. Blitzø and one of his employees, Moxxie (Richard Steven Horvitz), even started out as recurring characters in Hazbin Hotel before they were developed into their own show.

Charlie Morningstar and Vaggie stand together inside the Hazbin Hotel

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However, looking at the main, substantial plots, both Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are mostly concerned with telling their own stories. Hazbin Hotel depicts discord between Hell and Heaven as Charlie vouches for her hotel residents to have a chance at redemption, while Helluva Boss delves into the class structure of Hell through the lens of a startup business. It's not unbelievable that the two stories are unfolding in the same setting, with the main characters of both just having never had any opportunity to meet each other.

There are references to different rings of Hell that make it seem like the world is big enough for Charlie in Blitzø to never run into each other.

The Lucifer/Satan contradiction is the only time the shows have really found a way to clash when there are references to different rings of Hell that make it seem like the world is big enough for Charlie in Blitzø to never run into each other. However, both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are set to go on for a while and are seemingly drawing closer to each other, and this could be clarified or further muddled in the future.

Source: YouTube, Reddit, The Direct