Is Dororo a boy or a girl? Biography and Interesting facts

Anime and manga entered the world thanks to Osamu Tezuka's legacy with his phenomenal manga series Dororo. This guy is basically a legendary god himself, no matter what era you place his work in!

With the 2019 reboot of his acclaimed work, Dororo (1967-1969), there is one question that always intrigues the minds of fans: "Is Dororo a boy or a girl?" And the mangaka has us questioned because he left fans hanging on this subplot until the end of his original 4-volume Dororo manga series. To ease fans' curiosity, let us answer and discuss the matter here.

Dororo was the only child of a destroyed family of thieves, or noble bandits, whose goal was to rob and steal from the rich, and then give the spoils to the poor. 

Brave and ready to fight, Dororo strikes alongside Hyakkimaru and has an extreme soft spot for other little orphans and small animals.

It’s unlikely that anyone knows for sure how old Dororo is, and the character matures throughout the series, but she is at least 10 years old.

The hero's height is about 110 cm.

Content

1. Historical context

2. King of Thieves

3. Dororo boy or girl?

4. Why doesn't Dororo wear women's clothes?

5. Why is she posing as a boy?

6. Hints about Dororo's gender

7. Appearance

8. Dororo's personality

9. Treasures of Dororo

Historical context

It is also worth noting the time in which the anime takes place. Dororo lives during the Sengoku Jidai, or Warring States Era, which can be called the equivalent of the Civil War, when bloody wars were fought in Japan. In order to fully understand Dororo as a character, it is necessary to understand the historical context of the time. During Sengoku, due to constant fighting and confrontation between the daimyo (the Japanese equivalent of the Russian prince), life was not easy for civilians and peasants.

King of Thieves

There were many bandits on the roads and in the forests, human trafficking flourished, and a military detachment passing through your village could take away most of the food supplies. In the anime, Dororo calls himself the “king of thieves,” and knowing the historical context, now you can not consider this something bad, since it would be extremely difficult to survive in such conditions in any other way, especially as an orphan.

Dororo boy or girl?

Everyone who started watching this anime from the very first episode of the first season was tormented by the question of Dororo’s gender. This character is actually a girl! Despite the fact that she acts like a boy, dresses in a masculine manner and speaks of herself in masculine terms. When Hyakkimaru finds a new companion, there is not a drop of feminine in him: a man's kimono, a thin boyish voice and an unfeminine body structure. Few of the fans could guess that this character was female and could pretend so well; little revealed his true nature.

Why doesn't Dororo wear women's clothes?

The answer to this question is also related to history. The fact is that women's kimonos of that time and other traditional clothing - yukata, were extremely inconvenient for strong activities, especially for thieves. These clothes emphasized femininity and figure, but were too long, so you could trip and fall in them if you started to move actively.

Why is she posing as a boy?

Someone may have already guessed what the answer to this question will be. Here we again return to the historical features of the Warring States Era, when the life of a little orphan was in great danger. Most likely, Dororo’s parents raised him as a boy from infancy, instilling male behavior patterns from an early age. This is due to the fact that being a girl, and especially an orphan, in those days was mortally dangerous. Little girls could be kidnapped, sold into slavery, or taken from their home village to a city brothel, but it was easier for boys to survive. Dororo’s parents understood this, so they raised the child as a man; perhaps this saved her life, allowing her to one day meet a lonely ronin.

Hints about Dororo's gender

Many fans are confident that Hyakkimaru knew from the very beginning that his new traveling companion was female.

• In episode 9, the nun, speaking to Hyakkimaru, talks about how difficult it is to travel with a young girl;
• Episode 15 reveals the historical context of the events and explains what it was like to be a girl in the era of the warring states.

Appearance

In appearance, Dororo is an ordinary tomboy with brown eyes, black hair, which is gathered in a small short ponytail at the back of his head, looking at whom the question does not even arise: “is this a guy or a girl?” As for clothing, she prefers a worn and even tattered sleeveless green robe. Despite the fact that this robe exposes part of the chest, at a young age the differences between boys and girls are not particularly noticeable, especially in the upper body. She also wears a belt that holds a small bag. She accessorizes with a brown ribbon necklace and white wraps around her wrists and ankles.

After growing up and becoming a teenager, Dororo begins to wear a red outfit, most likely a kimono. She is also growing her hair longer.

Dororo's personality

At first glance, it may seem that this character is an ordinary mischievous and mischievous child, and his appearance complements this opinion, but Dororo is capable of various small dirty tricks, pranks and not always kind jokes. Since gangster blood flows in her veins, she corresponds to the status and upbringing of her parents. Dororo loves to act recklessly and find himself in various not-so-pleasant situations, and can also claim the property of others. It’s not for nothing that she calls herself a good thief.

For some time she wandered alone around the surrounding area in search of prey or a victim to steal, until she stumbles upon a demon. Here he meets Hyakkimaru, who saves an orphan from a demon and thus becomes a faithful companion. Dororo, like most children her age, behaves accordingly, allowing herself to be curious and cheeky. She is not frightened by Hyakkimaru's abnormal feature, she calmly approaches the ronin and begins a conversation.

Despite her complex character, Dororo often shows concern not only for her brother, as she calls her savior from the demon, but also for the people around her. The older Hyakkimaru becomes a close person to her, which is important for a little orphan deprived of love and affection. Having gone with the ronin to fight the demons, she carried out all his instructions and tried to help as best she could, although sometimes she allowed herself to be rude and caustic towards her fellow traveler.

Treasures of Dororo

One of the reasons why Dororo became Hyakkimaru's companion was that in exchange for help with the demons, the ronin would help her find the treasure. She wanted to spend the money for the benefit of the poor, that is, to act according to her conscience. Also, part of the funds could go to help Mio fulfill her dream of planting a rice field. In the process of their joint adventures, Hyakkimaru and Dororo become best friends and soul mates, so the issue of helping with the search for treasures should not be written off.