8.024 minSeason 1 • Episode 24
LatestDaigo's castle is engulfed in flames. Within, two brothers by blood are at the mercy of fate. Dororo, Jukai and Lady Nui also head for the castle, each with their own thoughts weighing down upon their hearts. For a life that began with a silenced cry, where will the path of destiny lead?
A samurai lord has bartered away his newborn son's organs to forty-eight demons in exchange for dominance on the battlefield. Yet, the abandoned infant survives thanks to a medicine man who equips him with primitive prosthetics—lethal ones with which the wronged son will use to hunt down the multitude of demons to reclaim his body one piece at a time, before confronting his father. On his journeys the young hero encounters an orphan who claims to be the greatest thief in Japan.
Direction
MAPPA's art direction turns prosthetic body horror into breathtaking visual poetry.
Score
Eerie traditional instrumentation that haunts long after credits.
Writing
Dororo's chaotic energy perfectly balances Hyakkimaru's silent devastation.
Creator
Osamu Tezuka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Osamu Tezuka created the original 1969 manga after a miscarriage left him obsessed with incomplete bodies and what we owe the unborn. The 2019 remake was timed for his 90th birthday.
The 48 demons reference the 48 Buddhist hells — Hyakkimaru's journey is literally a descent through Japanese religious punishment architecture, with each demon representing a specific sin his father committed.
JP
