Is The Dororo Anime Similar To Demon Slayer? Explained

Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime series of recent years, so there are a lot of discussions surrounding it, although the comparisons with Dororo could be one of the most interesting because of misinterpretations. While this anime adaptation by MAPPA came out a couple of years ago, the truth of the matter is that the original manga came out in the late 60s, so it has a lot of history in the medium.

Furthermore, there is a common misconception that Dororo is a copy of Demon Slayer when the former came out many years prior, as mentioned earlier. However, regardless of the release dates of the source material, this discussion also took place because there were some similarities that led to some poorly-informed individuals thinking that this manga, written by the legendary Osamu Tezuka, is a copy of Koyoharu Gotouge's series.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Dororo and Demon Slayer.

Explaining the similarities between Dororo and Demon Slayer

Dororo and Hyakkimaru (Image via MAPPA).

While it has been already established that Dororo came out a lot of years before Demon Slayer, it is also fair to say that they are both very similar stories when it comes to a lot of different plot points.

For example, the general plot of samurais fighting demons in Japan several decades ago is something that both series share, which is something worth taking into account. Furthermore, another thing both series share in common is that they focus on the main character being a roaming samurai (Tanjiro Kamado and Hyakkimaru) and they both have a younger person traveling with them (Nezuko Kamado and Dororo, respectively).

Both stories feature older versions of Japan being terrorized by demons and the two protagonists constantly have to fight these demons, which leads to them having to witness a lot of bloodshed and question what defines being human. It could be argued that the similarities end here since both series begin to take very different directions, with Demon Slayer being a much more typical shonen manga while Dororo has a bit more mature and darker approach to the story is trying to tell.

All of this plays a huge role in understanding both the similarities and the differences in what Tezuka and Gotouge were aiming for with their stories.

The differences

Nezuko and Tanjiro Kamado (Image via Ufotable).

While it is true that these two anime series are fairly similar when it comes to the more general elements, it is also true that they are very different when it comes to motivations, plot developments, and the general feel and atmosphere of their respective stories.

This is perhaps one of the main reasons Demon Slayer is a lot more popular than Dororo and has a much wider appeal. For example, Tanjiro's motivation is to turn his sister back into a human while Hyakkimaru's is getting the pieces of his body which were sold to demons by his father, which is a bit more complex.

Furthermore, family plays a big role in Tanjiro's character while Hyakkimaru actively resents his family for what they did to him and has to come to terms with that as the story progresses. The world in Dororo is also a lot more ravaged by demons and there is a constant, looming feeling that something bad is going to happen. On the other hand, Demon Slayer is a lot more positive, even during its darkest moments, juggling some serious scenes with something a lot more lighthearted later.

Tanjiro is also a much more straightforward protagonist than Hyakkimaru, who has a lot of trauma and resentment to overcome, making his character arc all the more satisfying to witness.

Final thoughts

Dororo and Demon Slayer definitely have similarities as a story in terms of premise and the world they are taking place in but the differences are a lot more prominent. It could be argued that one is a lot more focused on mainstream appeal while the other is a bit more character-focused and with a darker tone.