Dororo
Movies
Alternate Title
どろろ
Synopsis
Born to a daimyo father named Kagemitsu Daigo who made a pact with 48 demons in order to rule the world, Hyakkimaru was born malformed and limbless, lacking 48 body parts, and was abandoned in a river. Now grown up, Hyakkimaru has obtained fake body parts and travels together with a thief named Dororo in search of the 48 demons that were made from his body in order to eliminate them and retrieve his missing body parts.
Background
Dororo began as a manga by Osamu Tezuka that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday beginning in August 1967. The manga was cancelled and concluded in Boken’o in July 1968 after which it was released in four collected tankobon volumes. An English translation of the manga was released by Vertical in three volumes in 2008, which one the Eisner Award in the “Best US Edition of International Material - Japan” division in 2009.
The manga spawned a 26-episode anime adaptation that ran from April to September 1969 and features Gisaburo Sugii as director, Tatsuo Shibayama as scriptwriter, Isao Tomita as music composer, and animation produced by Mushi Productions. The anime was the first entry in what is now known as the World Masterpiece Theater series.
Coming 50 years after its initial anime adaptation, a new anime from Twin Engine is scheduled to premiere in Japan in January 2019. It features Kazuhiro Furuhashi in the director’s seat along with Yasuko Kobayashi as series composer, Satoshi Iwataki as character designer, and Yoshihiro Ike as music composer. The animation is being produced by MAPPA and Tezuka Productions, and Amazon has exclusive rights to stream the anime in Japan and overseas.
Characters
Dororo (Voiced by: Rio Suzuki)
A young thief who joins Hyakkimaru on his adventures.
Hyakkimaru (Voiced by: Hiroki Suzuki)
A ronin during the Sengoku period, Hyakkimaru travels the land in search of the 48 demons created from his missing body parts in order to eliminate them and reclaim his missing body parts.
Biwamaru (Voiced by: Mutsumi Sasaki)
A mysterious, blind Buddhist priest. Though a hermit, Biwamaru cares for Hyakkimaru and Dororo and comes to their aid from time to time.
Narrator (Voiced by: Mugihito)
International Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Osamu Tezuka
- Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
- Series Composition: Yasuko Kobayashi
- Original Character Design: Hiroyuki Asada
- Character Design: Satoshi Iwataki
- Music: Yoshihiro Ike
- Animation Production: MAPP, Tezuka Productions