Dororo

Paperback
$24.95 US
On sale Mar 20, 2012 | 848 Pages | 9781935654322

Dororo is a thriller manga featuring a boy who has been robbed of 48 body parts by demons. The story depicts his travels to destroy the demons and win back his body parts to become whole.

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

Time goes by and the baby grows into a boy who calls himself Hyakkimaru. Every time Hyakkimaru eliminates a devil, he retrieves one of his missing body parts. Hyakkimaru meets a boy thief named Dororo and together they travel the countryside in search of the devils that possess Hyakkimaru’s parts. Throughout their travels, they face monsters and ghosts.
  • WINNER | 2009
    Eisner Awards
Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics and the creator of the iconic character Astro Boy. He originally intended to become a doctor and earned his degree before turning to what was considered the frivolous medium of comic book art. With his sweeping vision, deftly intertwined plots, and indefatigable commitment to human dignity, Tezuka elevated manga to an art form. His eight-volume epic Buddha, winner of the Eisner and Harvey Awards, is available from Vertical. View titles by Osamu Tezuka
2009 Eisner Award Winner

“By far Tezuka’s edgiest work at that point in his career, this series is riveting and, frankly, creepy as hell, with Tezuka’s signature ‘cute’ style offering a welcome counterpoint to the visceral horrors depicted. Highly recommended.” —Publishers Weekly

“The premise and Tezuka’s eerie renditions of larval Hyakkimaru and the monsters that come after him is unusually effective and chilling.” —The Onion A.V. Club

“It’s the pioneer of the manga tradition wading neck deep into the mire of freakish swordsmen, ghouls and historical messiness: Kurosawa and Leone meets Romero… Dororo stands as a classic that showcases Osamu Tezuka’s unique approach to manga and to the world.”—Aint’t It Cool News

“Sleek in design and swift in pacing, the story’s blend of mayhem and laffs and depression creates a uniquely chaotic world… The monster designs are excellent, ranging from detailed etchings to gargantuan masses of doomy scribbles.” —Jog-The Blog

About

Dororo is a thriller manga featuring a boy who has been robbed of 48 body parts by demons. The story depicts his travels to destroy the demons and win back his body parts to become whole.

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

Time goes by and the baby grows into a boy who calls himself Hyakkimaru. Every time Hyakkimaru eliminates a devil, he retrieves one of his missing body parts. Hyakkimaru meets a boy thief named Dororo and together they travel the countryside in search of the devils that possess Hyakkimaru’s parts. Throughout their travels, they face monsters and ghosts.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2009
    Eisner Awards

Author

Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics and the creator of the iconic character Astro Boy. He originally intended to become a doctor and earned his degree before turning to what was considered the frivolous medium of comic book art. With his sweeping vision, deftly intertwined plots, and indefatigable commitment to human dignity, Tezuka elevated manga to an art form. His eight-volume epic Buddha, winner of the Eisner and Harvey Awards, is available from Vertical. View titles by Osamu Tezuka

Praise

2009 Eisner Award Winner

“By far Tezuka’s edgiest work at that point in his career, this series is riveting and, frankly, creepy as hell, with Tezuka’s signature ‘cute’ style offering a welcome counterpoint to the visceral horrors depicted. Highly recommended.” —Publishers Weekly

“The premise and Tezuka’s eerie renditions of larval Hyakkimaru and the monsters that come after him is unusually effective and chilling.” —The Onion A.V. Club

“It’s the pioneer of the manga tradition wading neck deep into the mire of freakish swordsmen, ghouls and historical messiness: Kurosawa and Leone meets Romero… Dororo stands as a classic that showcases Osamu Tezuka’s unique approach to manga and to the world.”—Aint’t It Cool News

“Sleek in design and swift in pacing, the story’s blend of mayhem and laffs and depression creates a uniquely chaotic world… The monster designs are excellent, ranging from detailed etchings to gargantuan masses of doomy scribbles.” —Jog-The Blog