Dororo anime: How many Dororo anime are there? Watch order explained

The Dororo anime has one of the most gripping stories in the anime and manga industry. It is an action, adventure, and dark fantasy genre that is based on Osamu Tezuka's manga of the same name. The Dororo anime tells the story of a young ronin named Hyakkimaru and a young child named Dororo. Both embark on a quest in Sengoku-era Japan to confront numerous demons who have taken Hyakkimaru's various body parts.

Given its popularity, many people want to start watching the show, but they aren't sure where to begin and are curious to know how many Dororo anime are there. To this, it can be said that there are two.

Veteran fans are aware of the importance of the episode list in the anime watch order, which is why the full chronology is provided below for those who want to start watching the program.

All you need to know about Dororo anime watch order

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Before we get into the entire Dororo anime watch order, viewers should be aware that its okay to skip the first anime adaptation of the manga. But one must keep in mind while watching the re-adaptation that it departs from the source material in several ways.

Thus, it would be best to watch both the first anime adaptation and re-adaptation in order to enjoy the series more.

Chronological Dororo anime watch order

Dororo Pilot Special (1968)
Dororo to Hyakkimaru (1969)
Dororo (2019)

Dororo Pilot Special (1968)

How many Dororo anime are there? Watch order explained (Image via MAPPA/Tezuka Productions)

First up on the watch list is the Dororo Pilot Special which was released in 1968. In order to pitch the series, Tezuka made a special 13-minute video with a full-color pilot that summarised the events of Hyakkimaru's birth, upbringing, and meeting with Dororo as well as a condensed version of The Tale of the Monster Bandai.

Furthermore, if viewers first watch this, they will notice that the characters are more similar to those in the original story than those in the TV series. On the other hand, the faces and personalities of the characters in the TV series are changed from time to time in order to gain popularity among its viewers.

Dororo to Hyakkimaru (1969)

Up next on the Dororo anime order watch list is the original anime adaptation of the manga, released in 1969, titled Dororo to Hyakkimaru. This series outlines how Hyakkimaru lost several of his limbs. Furthermore, the narrative shows how Hyakkimaru is adamant about regaining his limbs and leading a tranquil life.

This Dororo anime also has demons with a weirder and more threatening appearance as it was produced in black and white, due to budget constraints. Furthermore, Hyakkimaru's conflicts with supernatural creatures served as the central theme of most of the plots in this adaptation. As a result, viewers began to regard Hyakkimaru as the main character and the series was renamed Dororo and Hyakkimaru beginning with episode 14.

Episodes 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 23, and 25, were original stories created especially for the television series, since the original manga series was cancelled early. There are 26 episodes in all for the season. These are listed in chronological order below:

The Tale of Hyakkimaru Part 1
The Tale of Hyakkimaru Part 2
The Tale of the Monster Bandai Part 1
The Tale of the Monster Bandai Part 2
The Tale of the Misery Chronicles Part 1
The Tale of the Misery Chronicles Part 2
The Tale of the Demon Sword Nihil Part 1
The Tale of the Demon Sword Nihil Part 2
The Tale of Banmon Part 1
The Tale of Banmon Part 2
The Tale of Banmon Part 3
Tale of the Fair Fudo Part 1
Tale of the Fair Fudo Part 2
The Demon Kajirinkon
The Empty Empty Village
The Demon Horse Midoro
The Monster Donburibara
Bira-Bira the Sea Beast
The Thunder-fire Dog
Onburaki
The Moth Mother
The Demon Monmon
The Great Man-eating Tree
Shike Nyuudou
The Demon Tsuchibouzu
The Final Demon

Up next in the Dororo anime watch order is the 2019 anime adaptation.

Dororo anime (2019)

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Lastly, is the 2019 anime television series Dororo, which is produced by MAPPA and Tezuka Productions. This anime adaptation is a remake of the previous 1969 series. The adaptation, however, diverges from the original in a number of ways while staying true to the manga's central idea about Hyakkimaru and Dororo.

Additionally, viewers will note that Hyakkimaru is portrayed as a weaker samurai than the one in Tezuka's original story. This took place as a result of director Kazuhiro Furuhashi and other staff members' alternative conception of the young swordsman changing after his journey with Dororo. The series has a total of 24 episodes. These are listed below in chronological order:

The Story of Daigo
The Story of Bandai
The Story of Jukai
The Story of the Cursed Sword
The Story of the Moriko Song: Episode 1
The Story of the Moriko Song: Episode 2
The Story of the Jorogumo Silk Spider
The Story of Saru
The Story of the Merciless
The Story of Tahomaru
The Story of Banmon: Episode 1
The Story of Banmon: Episode 2
The Story of the Blank-faced Buddha
The Story of Sabame
The Story of the Scene from Hell
The Story of Shiranui
The Story of Questions and Answers
The Story of the Cape of No Mercy
The Story of the Amanojaku
The Story of the Nue
The Story of Breaking the Cycle of Suffering
The Story of Nui
The Story of the Demons
Dororo and Hyakkimaru

In summation

Thus, there are two Dororo animes—one is the re-adaptation of the original Tezuka work, and the other is the original.

There is no hard and fast rule requiring viewers to watch all three series, as they can simply watch Dororo (2019) because it revolves around the same plot. However, the pilot special and Dororo to Hyakkimaru must be seen in order to fully appreciate Tenzuka's original works.

Despite the fact that Tezuka created the series much earlier, the Dororo anime has kept up with contemporary anime series well.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga updates as 2023 progresses.