Dororo (Vertical Inc.)

Dororo (Vertical Inc.)

English Title: Dororo
Japanese Title: どろろ
Publication Date: 2008 (2012)
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
No. of Volumes: 3 (1)
In Print: ✔
Digital: ✘

From the Publisher

Daigo Kagemitsu, who works for a Samurai general in Japan’s Warring States period, promises to offer body parts of his unborn baby to 48 demons in exchange for complete domination of the country. When the baby boy is born, Daigo has him thrown into a river, expecting the boy to die. A kind sage, however, finds him and adopts him. The sage fits out his poor son with prosthetics.

Nobody is born whole”

Time goes by and the baby grows into a boy who calls himself Hyakkimaru. Every time Hyakkimaru eliminates a demon, he retrieves one of his body parts. Hyakkimaru rescues a boy thief named Dororo from a band of men whom the young boy tried to rob. Together they travel the countryside in search of the demons who possess Hyakkimaru’s parts. Throughout their travels, they face a host of monsters and ghosts.

What you should know

In 2008, Vertical, Inc. originally published Tezuka’s beloved samurai story, Dororo, in three trade paperback volumes with design work done by Peter Mendelsund.  Unlike the previously-released editions from Vertical, Inc., Dororo was released “un-flipped” in the original Japanese right-to-left reading order.  Each of the three volumes were roughly 275 pages and published in a 6″ x 8″ format.

Reprinted in 2012, the series was re-released in an 848-page “all-in-one” omnibus edition as well.

Another award-winning series from Vertical, Inc., like Buddha before it, Dororo received the 2009 Eisner Award in the category of Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan.