is a 2019 anime television series produced by Tezuka Productions and MAPPA based on the manga of the same name by Osamu Tezuka, and is the second anime adaptation after the 1969 series. The adaptation departs from the source material in several ways, but follows the basic premise of the manga: a young ronin, named Hyakkimaru, along with a young child, Dororo, must face multiple demons in Sengoku-era Japan who have stolen his various body parts in order to get them back.
The main innovation was the new portrayal of Hyakkimaru, a weaker samurai than the one written by Tezuka with director Kazuhiro Furuhashi among other staff member conceiving the alternate of take of the young swordsman becoming a new person following his journey with Dororo in a similar manner to buddy films. The series is also present in English release through Sentai Filmworks and Amazon Prime.
The series was well received by critics from anime who often listed it as one of the best anime from 2019. The characterization of Hyakkimaru and Dororo was often praised as well as how they develop and how the former's family is also explored. However, some writers felt some episodic narratives did not have the same appeal as the earlier ones.
Plot During the Muromachi period, a feudal lord has his newborn son's organs and limbs sacrificed to the twelve demon gods in exchange of prosperity for his people. The baby is abandoned but found by the doctor Jukai who specializes in giving people prosthetic limbs. Jukai adopts the baby and gives him limbs. When the child grows up, he is attacked by demons and develops the ability of seeing their silhouette to fight back. After defeating his first enemy, the now teenager regains his ability to feel pain. Jukai names him Hyakkimaru and he leaves on a journey to regain his body. Along the way, Hyakkimaru meets a child named Dororo who decides to follow him, teaching him how to live and fight demons in exchange for food when visiting villages.
As the duo fight demons, Hyakkimaru recovers his hearing which causes him to fall in love with the young singer, Mio, who had been selling her body to soldiers. Believing she is a spy, enemy soldiers kill her and the orphans in her care. This ignites a deep rage within Hyakkimaru, and he kills all but one of the soldiers. Dororo calms him and gives him a bag of rice seeds from the late girl, which he stores in his clothing. Hyakkimaru also meets his family: his father Daigo Kagemitsu, his mother Nui no Kata and his younger brother Tahomaru. As Daigo fears the land will be destroyed once Hyakkimaru recovers his body, he and his son attempt to kill him without success. As Hyakkimaru and Dororo continue their journey, the former becomes obsessed with recovering his body which scares the latter when a village is destroyed. Jukai makes Hyakkimaru realize that he needs a person to rely on to avoid being lost in wrath and Hyakkimaru chooses Dororo who had left him following a disagreement. Hyakkimaru goes to find Dororo who has now been captured by bandits who want to recover Dororo's father's hidden treasure.
Although now feeling more affection towards Dororo, Hyakkimaru succumbs to his wrath when he is unable to save Dororo, who nearly drowns, because he does not have real arms. Hyakkkimaru returns to Daigo's village to recover his last body parts and once again battles Tahomaru and his assistants Mutsu and Hyogo after the three made a pact with the demons to kill him- resulting in Mutsu and Hyogo receiving one of Hyakkimaru's arms and Tahomaru receiving his eyes. As Mutsu and Hyogo die, Hyakkimaru recovers his arms and fights Tahomaru in his castle on fire. Through his brother's despair, Hyakkimaru sees parallels between their lives and spares him. Tahomaru rips off his eyes to make Hyakkimaru recover his vision and Nui no Kata and Jukai lead him to Dororo as they die in the castle with Tahomaru. With Daigo's land destroyed, the feudal lord attempts to offer his son once again when Hyakkimaru spares him as he claims both can redeem themselves from killing people. Dororo then uses her father's treasure to rebuild the village while Hyakkimaru goes on a journey to accomplish Mio's dream of a field. The series ends with the grown Dororo running to happily welcome the returning Hyakkimaru.
Main cast
Hyakkimaru (): Due to his character's limited dialogue, MAPPA provided Suzuki with multiple directions during the recording sessions. He particularly enjoyed the varying emotional range Hyakkimaru employed when beginning to call Dororo by name. Suzuki compared the duo's relationship to that in a buddy film and interpreted the series' message as concerning humanity, noting that Hyakkimaru grew weaker with each body part he regained. Suzuki felt Hyakkimaru's initial voice sounded too much like an and was instructed to moderate his performance. The actor stated that Hyakkimaru never aimed to sound cool and was more endearing during his interactions with Dororo, especially following their reunion in the series' latter half after a period of separation. Dororo (): Suzuki expressed feeling pressure as the youngest actor in the series, but anticipated her character's developing relationship with Hyakkimaru and their shared journey. Biwamaru () Daigo Kagemitsu () Tahōmaru () Jukai (): Otsuka previously voiced Daigo in the 2004 video game adaption. Nuinokata ()
Production Concept
According to producer , the central appeal of the Dororo anime was the dynamic between the two main characters, Hyakkimaru and Dororo. While the duo was also a focus of the original manga, their relationship in the adaptation was significantly redeveloped, with Hyakkimaru gradually recognizing Dororo's existence as he regained parts of his body. Otsuka noted that despite the series' dark themes, the interactions between the two characters provided a sense of relief for viewers. To ensure the designs would appeal to a modern audience, Otsuka held discussions with draft artist Hiroyuki Asada and character designer Satoshi Iwataki. Iwataki blended the soft, rounded expressiveness of Tezuka's style with Asada's artwork to facilitate Dororo's animated movement, with a conscious effort to emphasize the character's cuteness. Otsuka, a self-described fan of Tezuka's works, expressed particular satisfaction that Kazuhiro Furuhashi was appointed director, citing his prior experience on Rurouni Kenshin and Altair: A Record of Battles.
Scenario The character design phase was noted as one of the most challenging aspects of production. Hiroyuki Asada, a fan of Tezuka's work, was enlisted for the task. Writer Yasuko Kobayashi admitted to being unfamiliar with the original manga at the time. Asada's initial design for Hyakkimaru depicted an older character, but following feedback from director Furuhashi that the design contained too many "Egui expressions" and should be cuter, Asada revised his approach to align more closely with Tezuka's original depiction. Kobayashi found that the final designs made it easier to empathize with the characters during storyboard and script development. In contrast, designing Dororo was considered less difficult than Hyakkimaru. Kobayashi also emphasized the impact of music on the series' tone, noting that the minimalist artwork was effectively complemented by a heavy, dramatic score.
Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi described the series as a difficult production, particularly in portraying a younger and more naive version of Hyakkimaru than in the 1969 adaptation. While the narrative was composed of episodic stories, Furuhashi integrated several focused on Daigo's family to intertwine with the central journey of Hyakkimaru and Dororo. To handle the setting accurately, Furuhashi studied other works by Osamu Tezuka and collaborated with writer Yasuko Kobayashi. A key narrative decision was for Hyakkimaru to first regain the body part that allows him to feel pain. Furuhashi preferred to convey the series' themes through subtext and character dynamics rather than explicit exposition, citing episode 18 and the evolving relationship between the two protagonists as examples of this approach, which was designed to facilitate Hyakkimaru's character development.
Designer Hiroyuki Asada explained that Hyakkimaru's slender body frame was a deliberate choice to evoke the image of a "ball-jointed doll", and his thin eyebrows were also intentional. Voice actor Akio Otsuka, who portrayed Jukai, contrasted the series' narrative choices with more conventional ones, noting that the decision to have Hyakkimaru's healthy leg chewed away, rather than a prosthetic, was emblematic of the adaptation's distinctive style.
Audio Producer Manabu Otsuka, who had a prior working relationship with composer Yoshihiro Ike dating back to a 2016 stage play, quickly secured him for the project. Sound director Kisuke Koizumi stated that a defining characteristic of Dororo was its minimal use of background music, with only 30 pieces composed for the two-cours series. This was a deliberate choice to prioritize dialogue and facial expressions for conveying emotion. The music that was used was described as epic to suit the period drama setting. Significant effort was also placed on detailed sound effects, such as the subtle noise of a character taking a step, to enhance the viewing experience. Ike noted that the multiple specific requests for the soundtrack presented a challenge.
The first opening theme, , was performed by Queen Bee, and the first ending theme, , was performed by amazarashi. The concept for "Kaen" involved a dancing metaphor based on the singer's background, which coincidentally aligned with the anime's depiction of Hyakkimaru seeing human souls as flames. The production staff requested a greater emphasis on Japanese musical instruments; in response, the band crafted choral sections to mimic the sound of such instruments and incorporated a rap segment. The ending theme "Sayonara Gokko" was noted for its mellow sound and lyrics that reflected Hyakkimaru's perspective.
For the second half of the series, the opening theme was performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, and the second ending theme was performed by Eve. Masafumi Gotoh of Asian Kung-Fu Generation stated that he composed the music with the intent of honoring the original Tezuka manga. Eve described his song as portraying Hyakkimaru's struggle with his cursed existence, his loneliness, his growing sense of self, and the new emotions arising from his bond with Dororo, all set in a "world of being eaten or eaten."
Themes
Set during the chaotic Sengoku period, the anime explored the tragedy of war and humanity's devotion to religion. Writing for Crunchyroll, Blake Planty observed the series' heavy focus on Buddhism, noting that demons threatening society often resulted in violent confrontations. Planty noted that in this context, Hyakkimaru's heroism was complicated by socio-political stakes, with Daigo's pact with demons representing shifting Buddhist attitudes toward such entities.
Marco Oliveros of Anime News Network highlighted the narrative's engagement with the damage caused by the Ōnin War, noting that the anime frequently addressed war victims regardless of age, with poverty being a common condition among villagers. He explained that while belief in predated the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, the two were never mutually exclusive, much like how Japanese Emperors historically served as both high Shinto priests and devoted Buddhist practitioners. Oliveros observed that although Daigo offered his son to the , Buddhist influence still saved the newborn child from a dark fate, symbolized in the first episode by a Bodhisattva Kannon statue losing its head when Hyakkimaru was saved from being consumed.