Dororo

During the Sengoku period, a wandering rōnin named Hyakkimaru travels the war-torn land with a young orphan thief named Dororo. Hyakkimaru is born grievously disfigured—lacking limbs, facial features, and internal organs—because his father, the daimyō Kagemitsu Daigo, made a pact with 48 demons to seize power and prosperity for his domain. To spare him from execution, Hyakkimaru’s mother Nui no Kata sets the infant adrift on a river, where the healer Jukai discovers him and eventually raises him. Jukai crafts prosthetic limbs from the remains of dead war orphans, making Hyakkimaru nearly invulnerable to ordinary harm. Embedded in his left arm is a mystical blade, a gift from a traveling storyteller who believes it is destined for Hyakkimaru because goblins have haunted the boy since his discovery. The blade, forged for vengeance against supernatural beings, becomes a crucial weapon in his quest. A spectral voice guides him, telling that slaying the demons will restore the body parts he has lost. Over time, he earns the name Hyakkimaru for his fearsome, inhuman presence.

On the road, Hyakkimaru crosses paths with Dororo, a resourceful young thief who joins him in the journey across a land scarred by war. By then, Hyakkimaru has already slain fifteen demons, and he goes on to defeat six more, gradually reclaiming fragments of his humanity along the way. Dororo’s own history soon comes to light: her father, a bandit named Hibukuro, steals wealth from oppressive samurai and hides the treasure at Bone Cape to help the suffering, intending to share it with the people. Betrayed by his subordinate Itachi, Hibukuro is crippled but escapes with his wife Ojiya and their child. Though Hibukuro perishes aiding their escape, Ojiya—fearing her own end—prays to Buddha and writes a map in her own blood to guide Dororo to the treasure before she dies in the cold.

Itachi later captures Dororo, using the map etched on the child’s back to guide him to Bone Cape. A mysterious boatman ferries them, accompanied by two demonic sharks that attack the bandits. One shark devours half of Itachi’s men, but Dororo and the survivors manage to kill the creature. When the boatman returns with the second shark, Hyakkimaru intervenes, wounding the beast before it flees. After landing, the boatman lures the remaining bandits to a poisoned spring, leaving only Itachi, Dororo, and Hyakkimaru. Discovering the corpses, Hyakkimaru slays the shark and the boatman, and with that victory, he regains his voice. Itachi searches for the treasure but finds only a letter from Hibukuro stating it has been moved. When corrupt magistrates arrive under false pretenses, Hyakkimaru, Dororo, and Itachi fight them off, though Itachi is left mortally wounded.

Later, Hyakkimaru learns that his father has been possessed by the remaining demons and that the Daigō domain has fallen into ruin, with enslaved citizens forced to build a fortress. The survivors plan a rebellion, but a traitor alerts Kagemitsu, who massacres the rebels with archers before the rest retreat into a hidden tunnel. Hyakkimaru infiltrates the fortress while Dororo joins the slaves in their ambush, only to be captured. To test his loyalty, Kagemitsu orders Hyakkimaru to execute Dororo. Pretending to comply, Hyakkimaru hurls his sword into the darkness, striking the physical manifestation of the demons. Although some demons escape, the slaves surge forth and overwhelm Kagemitsu’s forces. Weakened by the deaths of the demons, Kagemitsu flees with Nui.

After regaining his sight, Hyakkimaru discovers that Dororo is female, though the child insists she is male and has been raised as a boy to endure hardship. Encouraging Dororo to embrace strength as a farmer’s child, Hyakkimaru offers the coveted sword before departing alone to continue his quest, promising to reunite with Dororo when his body is fully complete. Decades pass, and the last of the 48 demons is slain.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:43