Dororo

Also known as どろろ (Dororo)

Hello, My Name (in English) is…

The Japanese word for robber is dorobō. In the afterword of the first edition of “Dororo” in book form, Tezuka wrote that the idea for the name came from hearing a friend’s child mispronounce it as dororō. Tezuka recounted this differently in a later edition, where he attributed the bungled speech to “my child”. In any case, we have the undeveloped articulation skills of a young child to thank for this memorable name.

Distinguishing Features

Primarily identifiable by his “one-eye” hair swoop with the spikey cut-back, he is a plucky survivor with a will of iron.

Status: Primary Star (★★★)

The child star of his own samurai-era drama, Dororo is best known for his titular role as Hyakkimaru‘s side-kick during his long quest to retrieve his 48 missing body parts from the demons which possess them, in Dororo (1967-69).

It is interesting to note that Dororo comes from a tragic family. Dororo’s father, the bandit leader Hibukuro was betrayed and deposed by his subordinate Itachi and both parents die amidst the famine-torn environment of the series – leaving Dororo to travel alone until encountering Hyakkimaru.

Notable Roles

Although primarily confined to his own series, Dororo has also actively appeared in Black Jack (1973-83), Don Dracula (1979), and in cameo in Rainbow Parakeet (1981-83), among a few others.