Dororo

The greedy samurai lord Daigo Kagemitsu's land is dying, and he would do anything for power, even renounce Buddha and make a pact with demons. His prayers are answered by 12 demons who grant him the power he desires by aiding his prefecture's growth, but at a price. When Kagemitsu's first son is born, the boy has no limbs, no nose, no eyes, no ears, nor even skin—yet still, he lives.

This child is disposed of in a river and forgotten. But as luck would have it, he is saved by a medicine man who provides him with prosthetics and weapons, allowing for him to survive and fend for himself. The boy lives and grows, and although he cannot see, hear, or feel anything, he must defeat the demons that took him as sacrifice. With the death of each one, he regains a part of himself that is rightfully his. For many years he wanders alone, until one day an orphan boy, Dororo, befriends him. The unlikely pair of castaways now fight for their survival and humanity in an unforgiving, demon-infested world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hyakkimaru Main

Suzuki, Hiroki Japanese

Dororo Main

Suzuki, Rio Japanese

Mio Supporting

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

Biwamaru Supporting

Sasaki, Mutsumi Japanese

Tahoumaru Supporting

Chiba, Shouya Japanese

Jukai Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Nuinokata Supporting

Nakamura, Chie Japanese

Midoro Supporting

Mutsu Supporting

Munakata, Mariko Japanese

Itachi Supporting

Satou, Setsuji Japanese

Yamamoto, Kouji Producer, Planning

Ootsuka, Manabu Producer, Planning

Matsunaga, Masato Producer, Production Coordination, Production Assistant

Furuhashi, Kazuhiro Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Oct 11, 2024

LuxuriousHeart

Recommended

Dororo tells the story of a baby sacrificed to demon gods for the prosperity of an area of land. The baby grows up and is on a mission to get his body back. He eventually teams up with a kid named Dororo, and they go on adventures to slay demons.

Dororo asks the viewers questions. Is the suffering of one, to the better of thousands, worth it? Are the samurai saving their people or destroying their land? What is the role of women during war? What do women suffer? War vs peace. Guns vs butter. Which ... should be the priority of a nation?

The anime itself was entertaining, but it also had gut wrenching moments. The suffering of the people tugs on your heart strings. The loss of one's family and friends during the war, and the desperation of a land with scarce resources. The cast of characters were really good. Dororo and Hyakkimaru play off of each other. Dororo is a kid who has a lot of wisdom for their age.
Dororo is more talkative and serves as the comedic relief, but they also serve to have empathy for others and build relationships with them. Hyakkimaru is the silent protagonist who says very few words. Dororo is more of a round character where they're constantly pondering the morals of a situation and questioning if they did the right thing. Hyakkimaru is more of a flat character, where they have a simple goal in mind and don't deviate from that. The characters they meet along the way are all different, but they each contribute to the narrative. Some make the episode more light hearted and comedic, while others tell a heavy and dark narrative.

I personally give this show an 8/10. It was a great show and I do recommend it. It took just a few episodes to find its footing. The ending was satisfying enough. Though I definitely did want for a sequel. Still, it's a nice standalone anime that I highly recommend.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 22, 2024

Vabanken

Mixed Feelings

The main story is quite good and a bit dark too. Tells the story of a child who was cursed due to his parents' ambition to make a transaction with the devil. The storyline is quite strong and there are lots of quite interesting side stories too. The picture display is quite good with the background of ancient Japan. Overall, I don't think this anime is bad, but it's not very good either. Not bad, maybe a more appropriate word in my opinion. I personally felt a bit bored in the middle episodes, a bit less exciting and the story didn't seem very compelling. It ... feels like a total of 24 episodes is a bit too long. I'm more interested in watching the early episodes and towards the end.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 29, 2024

colelouch

Not Recommended

After a 12-hour marathon of the series with Gigguk, I found that while the show has a lot of potential, it's hindered by a low budget, inconsistent animation, and poor pacing in the storytelling. The initial concept is straightforward yet rich with potential: A daimyo sacrifices his firstborn child to demons in exchange for power and prosperity, and the child must battle 12 demons to regain his humanity. The title "Dororo" doesn't hold much significance for me, even though some argue that Dororo is Hyakkimaru's reason to fight and stay sane. In truth, it's his family's rejection and his adoptive father's world that ground Hyakkimaru. ... Aside from treasure hunting and a tragic past, Dororo doesn't add much to the story.

The anime can be divided into two arcs. The first 12 episodes are definitely the high point. Despite some inconsistent animation and odd pacing, the plot has a clear focus, and each standalone episode is memorable with just the right amount of brutality and fatality. The animation quality in the second arc decreases significantly; episode 15 has become a meme in the anime community, even though plot-wise, it's a good episode. The latter half's animation quality is acceptable, but the plot feels somewhat aimless. The final climax is also dull, with many characters making questionable decisions. Overall, with a better budget, animation, and pacing, this show could be much better because some standalone episodes have really good plots. I was surprised to see it has such a high score on MyAnimeList.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Dororo Episode 22 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Jun 10, 2019	167 replies	by Gloob7046 »» Oct 14, 3:12 PM
	Poll: Dororo Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jun 24, 2019	448 replies	by LuxuriousHeart »» Oct 11, 12:24 AM
	Poll: Dororo Episode 23 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jun 17, 2019	246 replies	by LuxuriousHeart »» Oct 10, 11:56 PM
	Poll: Dororo Episode 21 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Jun 3, 2019	179 replies	by LuxuriousHeart »» Oct 10, 10:59 PM
	Poll: Dororo Episode 20 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - May 27, 2019	138 replies	by LuxuriousHeart »» Oct 10, 2:27 AM

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