Hyakkimaru is the protagonist of Dororo, Osamu Tezuka's most celebrated samurai epic. Born under horrific circumstances—his father sold 48 parts of his body to demons—he spends the entire series on a brutal quest to reclaim what was stolen from him. As a warrior, he's formidable, but his journey is less about simple revenge and more about what it costs to become whole again.
The story throws everything at him: bizarre mythological creatures, demons, bandits, and worse. It's grim and violent in ways that still hold up. But here's the tragic irony fans note: as Hyakkimaru gradually recovers his physical body, he becomes emotionally harder and more distant. The more human he becomes physically, the less human he seems to act. His grueling experiences wear him down until coldness replaces whatever warmth might've been there before. It's the kind of character arc that makes the series stick with people long after they finish it.
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