Main Characters | Demons | Human Antagonists | Other Characters | 2019 Anime
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Hyakkimaru
Voiced by: Nachi Nozawa (1969 anime), Tomokazu Sugita (Blood Will Tell), Mamoru Miyano (Young Black Jack)
Portrayed by: Satoshi Tsumabuki (movie)
First son of Daigo Kagemitsu, young Hyakkimaru had his body parts stolen by the demons that his father made a pact with. As a result, the vast majority of his body is prosthetic, and he can't see, hear, smell, or even talk. He goes on a journey to kill the demons and take back his body bit by bit.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Depends on the work, but either he gets more muscle and looks more traditionally handsome, or gets a bit slimmer and tends towards the Bishounen line. The "Hyakki Maruo" version is more of an ikemen, who is still rather muscular and fit despite being quadriplegic.
- Affectionate Nickname: Called "Aniki"/"Bro" by Dororo during their travels.
- Age Lift: Instead of fourteen, Hyakkimaru begins the 1969 anime at fifteen and finds his birth family at twenty.
- Artificial Limbs: And ears, and eyes, and nose, and skin...
- Badass and Child Duo: The Badass to Dororo's Child.
- Badass Normal: It's hard to believe he's a regular human when he slays the biggest and worst demons that no normal man could ever dream of fighting.
- Berserker Tears: Hyakkimaru does not take the death of Mio well in any of the adaptations.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Hyakkimaru's prosthetic arms conceal a pair of katana.
- Blind Seer: While he has no eyes, he does have the ability to see the souls, which helps him get by despite the absence of every other sense.
- Blind Weaponmaster: With the weapons as part of his body, no less.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: In the original, Hyakkimaru constantly had to be on the lookout for Dororo's reckless behavior, saving the kid wherever he got in trouble and having to physically pull the kid away from a fight if need be.
- Crazy-Prepared: His original incarnation had a weapon for just about any situation. In addition to the blades hidden in his limbs, he also has acid spray in his kneecaps and his fake nose can be used as an explosive.
- Cyborg: Lampshaded in the manga, where Jukai tells him that he'd be considered one "in sci-fi jargon."
- Depending on the Artist: The details of Hyakkimaru's appearance tend to vary significantly between adaptations (or cameos in other Tezuka productions), ranging from a rugged, muscular man whose prosthetics are undiscernible until removed in the 1969 anime to a slight, eerie boy who looks more like a doll than a real person in the 2019 anime. His hair color also changes from adaptation to adaptation, going from gray to blue to black.
- Depending on the Writer: His physical age depends on who writes the adaptation at the time. In most, he's a teenager, but in a few adaptations, he's a young adult during his journey. His personality also varies, going from cocksure to a tortured individual.
- Disabled in the Adaptation: He's already disabled, but his counterpart in Young Black Jack, Maruo Hyakki, is a quadriplegic and his circumstances won't allow him to overcome this with psychic powers or regenerating his limbs. He makes do with prosthetics for his hands and a wheelchair.
- Disability Superpower: He was born without arms and legs, but attached weapons to the stumps.
- Driven to Suicide: At least two times in the manga he seriously considers killing himself. Luckily, Biwa-Houshi brings him back from the brink each time.
- Feel No Pain: As a side effect of having a prosthetic body, Hyakkimaru can survive sword cuts and stabs without so much as flinching. In the 2019 remake, his sense of pain was one of the things taken from him. He at least discusses this trope in the manga, saying that because he has no pain threshold he also has no idea how much his body can take before giving out.
- Jukai notes that since Hyakkimaru doesn't feel pain, he fights without fear and picks fights without any consideration. He keeps that trait even when regaining his ability to feel pain.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: In Blood Will Tell, after it is found out Dororo has a demon inside of her body that contains his last remaining body part. He has two choices: he can either kill her or spare Dororo's life and never get his last body part back. He chooses neither and decides to wait for five years until Dororo is old enough and find a way to extract the demon inside of her.
- Handicapped Badass: Hyakkimaru, for a certain definition of 'handicapped' - though his goal is to become less handicapped as time goes on.
- One could say he would do better with his handicap, as any major injury can be brushed off since most of his limbs are prosthetics (he once sustained an arrow injury to the back and lived because he hadn't regained it yet) and more than once he's used them to stash hidden weaponry (he did a Your Head A-Splode on a nine-tailed fox by throwing his prosthetic nose, which was a bomb, into its mouth). In Blood Will Tell, he gains stats when he recovers his bodyparts, and while he does lose access to various advantages his prostheses provide as he gains his actual bodyparts (specifically, his Arm Cannon and Leg Cannon and his moveset involving his double katana arms), he gains new abilities in return, such as dashing.
- Heroic Bastard: Legitimate son of Kagemitsu, but after the pact was sealed was effectively disowned from the family line.
- He Who Fights Monsters: According to Biwa-Houshi. He warns Dororo that Hyakkimaru might become the same as the demons he fights.
- Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Generally his bangs will cover his right eye, which is often handy as that's also the eye that he won't get until later.
- Hiding the Handicap: Notable for him hiding some massive disabilities with masterful use of Telepathy. His speech, hearing, and sight are masked by mouthing while telepathically communicating, while he hides his amputee status with realistic enough prosthetics.
- Magic Is a Monster Magnet: Has a tendency to draw ghouls and demons to him, hence why Jukai saw it necessary to teach him how to fight.
- Meaningful Name: Hyakkimaru's name (百鬼丸) contains the kanji for "hundred demons."
- Moses in the Bullrushes: Was sent drifting down the river either by a father who didn't care what became of him (in the manga) or a midwife who was ordered to drown him but instead took pity on him.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Hyakkimaru wears a tattered, loose-fitting yukata that leaves the better part of his chest and stomach exposed.
- Not So Above It All: There are several moments where Hyakkimaru acts like a dweeb, but you can mainly find this side of him in more comedic moments.
- Parental Abandonment: Was subjected to this at the very beginning, when his birth father Daigo sacrificed him to demons and then sent him along the river. In the manga at least, he's still rather hurt by his treatment.
- Psychic Powers: Hyakkimaru uses these to compensate for his missing bits, using ESP to see and hear, talking telepathically and presumably using telekinesis to do things like moving his food where it's supposed to go until he gets his esophagus back. In the original manga, it's said to be something anybody can do with practice (though he clearly has an unusual aptitude for it), but Blood Will Tell wisely changes them to mystical powers he was given by the gods to fight the Majin with. Getting each part back increases your stats because it frees up more of his power to use for fighting instead of keeping himself alive.
- Psychic Link: He also has one of these with Dororo. This is a major plot point in the game.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Mio and the children are killed by a group of samurai who assumed she was a spy, Hyakkimaru returns to find them slaughtered and goes berserk and brutally killing the ones responsible.
- Samurai Ponytail: A messy one that hints at his heritage.
- Tears of Joy: Once he finally regains his sight, the first thing he does is weep for joy as he takes a look at Dororo for the first time.
- Tragic Keepsake: He keeps the rice seeds Mio bought in his pouch.
- Unusual Weapon Mounting: Hyakkimaru's legs have water guns in their knees, which he uses to douse demons with holy water (he gets his left leg back from the first demon he tries it on). His nose is also an explosive, though luckily he grows a real nose after he uses it to blow a demon fox's head off.
- What Is This Feeling?: In the movie, Hyakkimaru regains his heart after defeating his demon-possessed father Daigo and he tells Dororo that the pain in his chest won't stop. This implies that Hyakkimaru is feeling heartbroken for the first time.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Hyakkimaru's a gentleman despite his lack of complete awareness, so his earlier versions were more reserved about killing women. He tells Dororo this when the kid asks for Hyakki to kill them, so he can make Dororo aware of themselves.
Dororo
Voiced by: Minori Matsushima (1969 anime), Ikue Otani (Blood Will Tell), You Taichi (Young Black Jack)
Portrayed by: Ko Shibasaki (movie)
Self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Thief," Dororo first follows Hyakkimaru in order to eventually steal Hyakkimaru's sword in the original manga.
- Adaptational Badass: The movies and game give Dororo a better fighting chance, allowing the kid to stand on the same ground as Hyakkimaru.
- Badass and Child Duo: The Child to Hyakkimaru's Badass, at least in the stories that keep Dororo a child. The kid is not without spunk, however.
- Battle Couple: Eventually with Hyakkimaru in Blood Will Tell.
- Butch Lesbian: In the 1969 anime she flirts with several girls through the series and happens to be a tomboy herself.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: In the 1969 anime finale, Dororo joins a peasant rebellion against the samurai and often was seen taking charge.
- Character Title: The one and only.
- Girliness Upgrade: Whenever Dororo is shown older, she usually marks the change by presenting more feminine.
- Hates Baths: He hates bathing for good reason; his deceased parents told him that the Treasure Map on his back is meant to be for someone he can trust.
- He's All Grown Up: Blood Will Tell, Dororo and Enma-kun, and the 2019 anime have Dororo age up which also makes it impossible to hide that she's a girl.
- Hot-Blooded: Runs on this in the original and most follow ups.
- Large Ham: Has a fondness for Chewing the Scenery. See Mouthy Kid.
- Made of Iron: Dororo can take one hell of a beating, and then walk it off like a boss.
- Meaningful Name: "Dororo" (どろろ) is a corruption of "dorobō" (どろぼう) which means "thief".
- Morality Chain: He is there to make sure Hyakkimaru doesn't become the same as the demons he fights.
- Mouthy Kid: He avoids becoming a complete Bratty Half-Pint by A) actually being as good a thief as he thinks he is, and B) being lively and energetic in a setting where that's in genuine danger of dying out.
- Opposite-Sex Clone: Her true purpose in Blood Will Tell, being made out of Hyakkimaru's missing parts.
- Only Friend: Dororo is the first and only friend Hyakkimaru's ever made since he doesn't have many friends close to his age and he lacks social skills.
- Only in It for the Money: Most of the time when someone requires Hyakkimaru's assistance to take care of a demon, Dororo is only too glad to offer Hyakkimaru's help, for a price.
- Precocious Crush: In adaptations where he is kept a child, Dororo is implied to have a small crush on Hyakkimaru. You see it with Dororo being embarrassed when naked around Hyakkimaru, and blushing when Hyakkimaru calls the kid "cute" after he gets his sight back.
- Raised as the Opposite Gender: Dororo is a girl, but wasn't even aware of it. His parents raised him as a boy that way and didn't tell him otherwise.
- Samus Is a Girl: The titular character is revealed to be a girl. It doesn't help that she was told she was a boy by her parents.
- Super-Scream:
- Dororo can apparently cause enemies to pass out simply by yelling loud enough. The kid does this twice in volume 2 of the manga, calling it a "secret move".
- He also has this move in Blood Will Tell, but only when he's possessed by the sword 'Nihil' (a.k.a. "Dragon Brood") or is low on life.
- Supporting Protagonist: While Dororo is the originator of the manga's title and the kid is a main character, ultimately the primary mover of the story is Hyakkimaru and his quest to get his body back.
- Stealth Clothes: Whenever Dororo sneaks into a guarded place to steal, he wears the tengui disguise in the manga.
- To Be a Master: To be the world's greatest thief.
- Treasure Map: The tattoo on Dororo's back reveals that it is a map to treasure, drawn on her back by her parents.
Nota
A puppy wearing a hat that travels with Hyakkimaru. Original anime character only and does not appear in the manga.
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Wears a cute eboshi hat.
- A Day in the Limelight: He gets focus in the episode "The Thunder-fire Dog", where he befriends the titular demon.
- Canine Companion: Is this to the duo.
- Canon Foreigner: Appeared first in the 1969 anime.
- Continuity Cameo: Briefly appears in the first episode of the 2019 anime.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Can usually tell when there's an evil spirit about and starts barking.
- Kid-Appeal Character: Was added to balance out the darkness of the anime.
- Precious Puppy: Is an adorable dog.
- Undying Loyalty: Always tries to help Dororo and rarely leaves his side.
