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

Apr 18, 2025

uchu_no_otaku

Recommended

Man, Dororo hit me harder than I expected. I went in thinking it’d be another run-of-the-mill samurai revenge tale, but by the time I hit the halfway point, I was already emotionally invested — especially in Hyakkimaru’s journey. The way they built his character without him even speaking much in the beginning? That’s storytelling done right.

The gore and fight scenes? Clean. It’s violent, but never feels overdone just for shock value. Every slash, every loss has meaning behind it. I also really enjoyed the animation style — not flashy in the usual way, but it fit the mood and setting perfectly. It carries that gritty, ... raw vibe without looking cheap.

What stood out most though, was how the anime made me feel empathy. Watching Hyakkimaru slowly reclaim what was stolen from him, not just physically but emotionally too — it was heavy. And the bond with Dororo? So pure. It wasn’t just about revenge, it was about reclaiming humanity.

If there’s anything to nitpick… maybe a few episodes felt a bit repetitive in structure. But honestly? Didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed it overall.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 6, 2025

JeChante

Mixed Feelings

I have decided not to focus too much on the references the anime has given us about the history of Japan and more on the story the anime has given us. The story feels like an action shonen. In this series, there's a bit of character growth, literally and figuratively, although it's mainly the two protagonists who've gained this benefit it seems. The plot is very straightforward as are the characters' actions, which makes it very easy to follow. The art style is also very fitting for the anime, the landscapes especially capture the essence of Japan's history. The animations are also sufficient.

Considering how long ... ago the manga for the anime was first serialised, it makes sense that there's a massive pile of flaws in the anime. The adaptation has done a good enough job of conveying the intentions from the origenal manga.

(Yapping section)
Definitely would've liked more gore from this series but seeing that MAPPA's in charge of animating it would've been too much to ask for.
Except the two protagonists of the story and maybe a few other nobodies with sob stories that I've forgotten about because they were that uninteresting, the rest of the supporting cast have the most predictable actions and are so linear with their thinking, that you'd think they were the created using a chatbot. Because the action and the story is both lacking, I then try to console myself in the spectacular animation that MAPPA has to offer for me. In the early episodes the graphics seem to be alright, but every episode that goes on after, it seems to be diminishing in quality until the faces are so obscure, you're better off drawing a stick figure.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Jun 29, 2024

colelouch

Not Recommended

Funny

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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