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ドロヘドロ [Dorohedoro] #20
Dorohedoro, Vol. 20
A twisted tale of sadistic Sorcerers and the monsters they create.
In a city so dismal it's known only as "the Hole," a clan of Sorcerers has been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious "experiments" in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they're hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they'll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of "cleaners" into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.
Inside the nightmare surrounding the Central Department Store, the long-absent En returns, making his family's wish come true! But its faithful members are either dead or dismembered, so if En wants to start over, can they even do anything to help him? Elsewhere, Caiman is battling the boss of the Cross-Eyes, Nikaido has been captured and Kasukabe is nearly dead. Then, in a life-or-death situation, something inexplicable happens to Caiman!
In a city so dismal it's known only as "the Hole," a clan of Sorcerers has been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious "experiments" in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they're hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they'll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of "cleaners" into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.
Inside the nightmare surrounding the Central Department Store, the long-absent En returns, making his family's wish come true! But its faithful members are either dead or dismembered, so if En wants to start over, can they even do anything to help him? Elsewhere, Caiman is battling the boss of the Cross-Eyes, Nikaido has been captured and Kasukabe is nearly dead. Then, in a life-or-death situation, something inexplicable happens to Caiman!
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2015
36 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Q. Hayashida
81 books602 followersQ Hayashida (林田球, Hayashida Kyu) is a manga author from Tokyo.
Hayashida studied oil painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. She has discussed her childhood and artistic inspirations in interviews but maintains a high level of privacy about her personal life, to the point that her true name and face are unknown.
Hayashida's first major manga was Maken X Another (1999-2001), a comic book adaptation of a video game.
Her most famous work is the 23-volumes long Dorohedoro (2000-2018). It was originally serialised in the alternative manga magazine 'Monthly Ikki', but it was later moved to 'Hibana' when Ikki ceased publication, and finally transferred to 'Monthly Shōnen Sunday'. Dorohedoro has been partially adapted into an anime on Netflix in 2018.
Hayashida's most recent manga series Dai Dark began serialisation in 2019 in the pages of Monthly Shōnen Sunday.
Hayashida studied oil painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. She has discussed her childhood and artistic inspirations in interviews but maintains a high level of privacy about her personal life, to the point that her true name and face are unknown.
Hayashida's first major manga was Maken X Another (1999-2001), a comic book adaptation of a video game.
Her most famous work is the 23-volumes long Dorohedoro (2000-2018). It was originally serialised in the alternative manga magazine 'Monthly Ikki', but it was later moved to 'Hibana' when Ikki ceased publication, and finally transferred to 'Monthly Shōnen Sunday'. Dorohedoro has been partially adapted into an anime on Netflix in 2018.
Hayashida's most recent manga series Dai Dark began serialisation in 2019 in the pages of Monthly Shōnen Sunday.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 7, 2021
Review to come
July 20, 2022
I defintely feel like a lot happened in this volume. We're still in the labyrinth, but we're discovering more about Kaiman and Nikiaido's powers and the En family's powers. I'm excited to finally know what that place really is.
May 26, 2023
Aún no termino de asimilar este tomo; pasaron muchas cosas, a ver cómo acaba todo.
February 13, 2022
I know these volumes have been getting thicker, but still, it feels like there's a lot going on in this one. Caiman's identity crisis continues to develop, Nikaido faces off with the cross-eyes' boss, the heads of Fujita & Co. come up with a plan to try and save themselves, Curse and Caiman/Aikawa/Ai Coleman venture deeper into the twisting labyrinth of the Store, with Dr. Kasukabe...and then there's all the business with the devils, Ebisu and Dokuga, and even what the folks back in the Hole are up to--and I'm pretty sure I left some things out! And somehow, despite all these moving parts, the story doesn't feel bogged down.
Q. Hayashida is a literary juggler, keeping a dozen balls in the air at once, while simultaneously spinning plates, and somehow setting off a fireworks display for good measure. I'm no longer worried whether she'll manage to tie up all these loose ends in the volumes that are left--I'm giddy, wondering what other twists she's going to throw in, just to keep us on our toes.
Q. Hayashida is a literary juggler, keeping a dozen balls in the air at once, while simultaneously spinning plates, and somehow setting off a fireworks display for good measure. I'm no longer worried whether she'll manage to tie up all these loose ends in the volumes that are left--I'm giddy, wondering what other twists she's going to throw in, just to keep us on our toes.
December 9, 2022
Porque alargar tanto el chicle, justo cuando tratan de dar una explicación más exhaustiva de la historia de los demonios, hechiceros y humanos, cortan todo para dejarlo como incógnita. Aun así, me gustó bastante todo el rollo que dejan sobre la historia de cada uno, pero falta todavía por explicar. Por otra parte, me parece que una de las oportunidades de volver al pasado será con Ai, y también veremos como se armarán un grupo de enemigos para enfrentar una fuerza mayor. Veremos si tengo o no razón.
March 21, 2023
First of all, can Nikaido stop appearing naked for no reason? On the other hand, I think they should stop delaying the information, it gets to a point where it's infuriating. I miss Caiman a lot.
March 6, 2022
Volumes are getting bigger and theres so much happening at once but it also seems that each storyline is coming together to end with one big event between all of them
June 8, 2025
4.5
Getting so close to the ending!
Getting so close to the ending!
June 27, 2025
i'm so fucking stressed rn
December 30, 2025
9/10
It’s insanely cool how everything is coming together now. I can just see everything falling into place and I need to know how things are going to end up for my sillies!!
It’s insanely cool how everything is coming together now. I can just see everything falling into place and I need to know how things are going to end up for my sillies!!
November 12, 2022
nature is healing
October 3, 2021
( I am currently re-reading the series, my review will be edited later! I enjoyed all of the volumes though! :D)
Some initial thoughts: I finished this in under an hour. Caiman's identity is confirmed and set in stone. I'm interested in the history of the hole too! I don't want this series to end.
All of my Dorohedoro reviews are a summary of what I've read & some thoughts!
I have the memory of a goldfish.
[RE-READ] OCTOBER 2021
TW: Strong language, blood & gore, graphic violence, body horror, decapitated heads, substance, transfiguration & nudity
Rating: 5 stars
Summarising with bullet points from now onwards so I can get through my re-reads faster
Spell 128: Last-ditch ressurection
- EN IS BACK, BABY! Ebisu comments on his butt, yet again. Shin frees Dokuga and approached En
- Ebisu is on the floor laughing while En is surprised at his resurrection. He's butt naked & cold so he asks Shin to fetch some clothes. Shin attempts to injure him but he used his magic on him. We see mushrooms sprouting all over Shin's body. Shin's body turned into a lot of small mushrooms, freeing him from the tube
- Dokuga seems to remember En now. He proceeds to disguise himself in his suit. Ebisu introduced 'Kaiko' to En. En steals Ebisu's shirt and Dokuga's pants
Spell 129: Speculative Hole
- Nikaido frees Caiman from the tube using the store knife. She sees the floating figure. It has a tail like a devil's. She advises Prof to bring Caiman inside of the funeral home. She fights with 'it'
- 'It' attacked Nikaido using its tubes. She successfully cut them off using the store knife but remain cautious
- Meanwhile, Caiman is not feeling so hot. The liquid coming from the tube is the same substance as the one that Ai threw up
- Prof Kasukabe tries to comfort Caiman. Caiman is free from 'him' so he advises Caiman not to give in. We see the bodies of the monks being taken away from their coffins by the tubes
- Risu is getting closer to his 'murderer'. Nikaido is still fighting off the tubes. 'It' finally showed his face. It's Aikawa's. When Nikaido asked who he is, he simply replied with "The Hole"
- Prof Kasukabe tries to alert Caiman about the dead monks. We see a mysterious floating body that rendered him speechless
Spell 130 : Extortion Completed
- The hole shrieked causing Nikaido to cover her ears and throw up. She dropped the store knife on the ground. It was immediately taken by the hole. He ripped her clothes (I don't understand why but..ok? Is the knife unable to kill Nikaido because she's still turning devil or The Hole is just perverted lol I don't see how this is necessary but ok)
- Nikaido is tangled by the tubes and her magic box was stolen by The Hole. Risu witnesses it and plans to stop him
- The soul (?) or body of the badly injured Ai stood on Caiman's shoulders. The dead monks proceed to torment Prof Kasukabe. We see Ai entering Caiman's body. His head starts to melt into the black substance (sludge) and he looks lifeless
- The Hole entered the room with Nikaido still tangled by the tubes. Prof Kasukabe is injured. Risu tries finding ways to save Nikaido
- We see Caiman turning into Aikawa. He thought that he has been napping?
Spell 131: Control vs. Control
- Aikawa is still clueless about what's going on. Nikaido used her devil's power to project her voice and thoughts into Risu. Nikaido advises Risu to get the store knife. The two are confused about Caiman/Aikawa's identity
- Aikawa saw 'The Hole' and mentions that it's strange to see himself like that? The hole proceeded to tangle him in the tubes and he bumped heads with Nikaido. He mentions that he's neither Caiman nor Aikawa
- Risu stops The Hole from cutting Nikaido and Aikawa's heads off
- Risu is able to engulf the knife's power with his Curse. This frees Caiman from the tubes. The Hole's hands are blown off, causing it to drop the store knife. Nikaido quickly told Caiman to cut him with it. He proceeded to cut his head off
- We see Caiman standing side by side with Ai. Before he was able to get Nikaido down, Nikaido is dragged with the headless body of The Hole
- We see the Curse swallowing The Hole's head. Caiman/Aikawa/Ai (IDK what to call him at this point. sis is tired) proceeds to carry Prof Kasukabe on his back. Curse/Risu mentions that he hasn't forgiven Aikawa yet. He plans to kill 'him' and save Asu and Nikaido (THIS IS WHAT WE CALL GROWTH! :') I love NikaidoxAsuxRisu dynamics so much)
Spell 132: Lock Out & Disperse
- Living Dead day is approaching fast. It gets cold during the time of the year. We see divers attempting to see what's going on under the dumping lake. They shortly died after diving for a few minutes. Everyone who was inside the store is presumed dead
- Dr Vaux, Thirteen and Johnson is depressed upon learning that Prof Kasukabe, Nikaido and the sorcerers might all be dead (when Vaux tried to comfort Johnson by saying that he would take care of him is so cute!!)
- We see Nikaido still being dragged somewhere. Even without a head or arms, The Hole is still alive. She wonders what would happen to her
- Aikawa and Risu are partners again and the two head out to find The Hole. The Store Knife is heavy and slippery so Aikawa tries finding something to wrap it with. Aikawa accidentally kicked something. They found Sho's head on the ground
- The sorcerers with their bodies being used to make Ebisu's dolls are getting weaker. They wonder if Noi is still alive. Turkey suspects that Shin's hammer might have destroyed Noi's devil's tumour. They plan to pull it out of her. Surprisingly Tetsujo is open to help too. Fujita wonders about Ebisu
- En conjures a portal door to go back to the sorcerer's realm. Ebisu mentions that it's raining over there which is why everybody left. En didn't believe her
- En found his mansion completely trashed. He also passed out from the rain. Kaiko (Dokuga) dragged him back. Ebisu mentions that the cross-eyes are the ones who destroyed everything. En promises to turn every single one of them into mushrooms
- En plans to gather supplies but no sorcerer could survive in that rain. Ebisu mentions that Shin can. He's half-human after all (but his body has been mushroom-fied)
Spell 133: Black Town
- Prof Kasukabe is not looking well but is not really out cold. He remembers Sho as a friend of Shins. Aikawa removes Sho's bandages to cover the slippery feather on the store knife. Prof mentions to Aikawa that he wants to study the head so he gave it to Prof to hold
- Since Risu knows where The Hole is going, they plan to head there first to wait for him
- There seems to be a town inside the central department store. Risu recognises the building
- Kawajiri is still stuck, blind and unable to generate smoke. Unwilling to die that way, he starts to call the people below. There's nothing much the heads can do because well... they're merely heads. Chota and Fujita try to remove the hammer from Noi's head. Turkey mentions that if the flasks were inserted inside of Noi, the hammer could be blocking its power
- Asu proceeds to call out for them but was ignored. The heads successfully pulled the hammer out of Noi. One of the coffins filled with sludge exploded. Something seems to be watching them
- En demanded Ebisu and Kaiko (Dokuga) to find all 326 mushrooms he turned Shin into to revive him. Dokuga memories are back. He's confused as to why Ebisu is covering for him. He flees and stumbled upon The Hole still carrying Nikaido. We see floating heads of Saji and Ushishimada
- A new head grew on the body of The Hole
- Prof Kasukabe grew weaker. Sho's head slipped from his hand and was dropped to the ground
Spell 134 : Swearing to the remains
- En studies Ebisu's doll. He calls it a terrible piece of work. As the magic wears off, he sees the body parts which it's made out of. He recognises parts of the body such as Chota's hand, Fujita's funeral shoe, turkey's oven mitt. He deduced that Turkey could've been desperate
- En finally realises that everyone's life is on the line. Everyone risked their lives for him (SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?)
- En wants to return the favour as the head of the family. First, he protected Judas's Ear with a mushroom suit. Ebisu returned to tell him that Kaiko's gone missing
- Ebisu found all but three mushrooms. En can sense them so they proceed to find it to revive Shin. En route, we see Sho's head on the ground. En recognises his face but can't seem to figure out who he is
- We see Kaiko (Dokuga) reuniting with the two and asking them to follow him as he found the remaining mushrooms
- Aikawa, Risu and Prof found the recreation of the hungry bug. 'He' recreated it from 'Aikawa's' memories. Aikawa told him that he misses Nikaido's gyoza (ugh, Caiman?). Risu told him that they lived together and that he has eaten her gyoza! HAHAHA of course Caiman got angry saying that they're his gyoza Lolol
- Risu asks Aikawa why the store sank but he remained silent. Aikawa seems to know where to go. They arrive at Central Hospital. Prof started seeing illusions
- Risu revealed that he was the one who stole the lizard head during the autopsy. Something triggered Curse that day. Something must've happened to the sorcerer who turned Caiman into a lizard (Ebisu turned into a zombie back in volume 2 when Caiman's head got cut off by Shin)
- Risu is surprised to see Aikawa with a lizard head. He asks him what he is
- Ai shares that he wasn't pretending to be a sorcerer. He thought that he has turned into one. Turns out, he was only used by 'him' (The Hole?).
- The man that killed Risu isn't human or sorcerer. Everything started when he fell into the dumping lake
Spell 135 : The Devil's Gyoza
- It turns out the devils are watching the room with coffins. They even prepared a lot of snacks (MUST BE NICE TO BE DEVIL). Chidaruma mentions that Gyoza is missing and amongst the devils, Asu was the only one who knows how to make them. They see him hanging outside. Chidaruma commanded them to bring him inside.
- Turkey, Chota & Tetsujo are slowly dying. Noi is still lying on the ground lifeless. Fujita calls out to her
- One of the devils grabbed Asu using a portal door. He dropped his beer and the mug hit Noi's head. Noi's devil's tumour is seen to be badly damaged. However, one of the magic flasks broke and seems to be engulfing the tumour
- Chidaruma healed Asu's injuries. They put him to work. He's making gyoza and also grilling corn. He asks Chidaruma why he is here to which he replied they're there to see something interesting. A brutal, merciless show of life and death.
- Chidaruma continues his story from before
BIRTH OF SORCERERS PART 2
- Chidaruma found a new land where humans live in
- He didn't create humans. They're deemed as lower life-forms
- They didn't have special powers. They were undeveloped and weak. However, they were intelligent enough to build a civilisation
- About 100 years ago, Chidaruma kidnapped some of them to hell (wtf this sadistic devil)
- He did everything with them but started getting bored. So he went back to the human world once again
- He discovered that sorcerers had killed most of the humans. There was a mountain of human bodies. The bodies were so befouled that they wouldn't rot. Centuries later, the mountain was gone and was replaced by this black pit (DUMPING LAKE?)
- Chidaruma was the one who named it Hole (why am I not surprised?)
- Chidaruma revealed that they're inside the pit right now. The pit is an evil hole of magic and death. Over the years, it has become self-aware and has one desire (revenge on sorcerers?)
Spell 136 : Crazy Comeback
- We see Shin's mushroom body piled up in one place. En engulfed the mushrooms with magic smoke. Dokuga proceeds to kick En on the face, stopping the magic
- Dokuga plans to use Ebisu as a sacrifice to bring his friends back. En became enraged at the cross-eyes
- Dokuga drags Ebisu with him. Meanwhile, En uses his magic to stop them
- Shin head turned normal. He is happy to see En back. En is still trying to save Judas's Ear
- En turned Ebisu's head into a mushroom because he lied to him. The two managed to escape. En was planning to use his magic to engulf the entire place into mushrooms (learn from your past mistakes, man! stop being a drama queen) but was quickly stopped by Shin
- Ebisu's mushroom head discharged some spores. Dokuga inhaled some of it. We see mushrooms exploding from the inside of his body. Before En got to finish him off, we see a tube connecting itself to Dokuga' body, dragging it far away. Dokuga still grips onto Ebisu's arm causing her & Judas's Ear to be taken away too
- Turkey, Chota, Tetsujo and Fujita is almost dead. They all seem hopeless. BUT OUR BABY NOI IS BACK!!! YAHOO! I miss her so much :')
Spell 137 : Maze Trail
- Ai seems to be taking Prof and Risu to Prof Kasukabe's old clinic (where it all started: THE OPERATION I MEAN!)
- Kasukabe is not looking too well but is surprised to see his clinic. It was destroyed 10 years ago. He took out a tape recorder from his pocket to document what's happening (respect! this man is a researcher through and through)
- The place seems to be inverted. We see Ai's soul (?) getting out of Aikawa's body and the original body of Ai lifeless on the road, the time when sorcerers have killed him. Aikawa remains stagnant. Ai greets Prof Kasukabe. He plans to bring them to 'it' and share what actually happened in the dumping lake that day
- Noi proceeds to use her magic to heal the injured sorcerers but was distracted by the figure dragging Nikaido, Ebisu & Dokuga (Ebisu was playing with Nikaido's chest but somehow it disappeared??? )
I can rest easy knowing that most of them will survive and I can't wait to see what Ai has to say about the dumping lake and his transformation into a sorcerer! THIS SERIES WILL WRECK ME FOR SURE UGH. I'm going to hop onto volume 21 immediately
Bonus evil :
En has a diary and Chota plans to read it. We see Sho at Anten, a sorcerers bar. People get seated next to each other randomly and they talk and drink.
We see someone like Kirion saying that she's human?? and that she has fooled her co-workers?
Sho met with Chota at the bar. Chota asks him to do him a favour (read: steal En's diary)
Apparently, it's no ordinary diary. En uses the diary to write orders for Sho. Once he's done with the task, the order disappears (so cool!). I love Chota's antics, always. He can be annoying but I like having him around
Some initial thoughts: I finished this in under an hour. Caiman's identity is confirmed and set in stone. I'm interested in the history of the hole too! I don't want this series to end.
All of my Dorohedoro reviews are a summary of what I've read & some thoughts!
I have the memory of a goldfish.
[RE-READ] OCTOBER 2021
TW: Strong language, blood & gore, graphic violence, body horror, decapitated heads, substance, transfiguration & nudity
Rating: 5 stars
Summarising with bullet points from now onwards so I can get through my re-reads faster
Spell 128: Last-ditch ressurection
- EN IS BACK, BABY! Ebisu comments on his butt, yet again. Shin frees Dokuga and approached En
- Ebisu is on the floor laughing while En is surprised at his resurrection. He's butt naked & cold so he asks Shin to fetch some clothes. Shin attempts to injure him but he used his magic on him. We see mushrooms sprouting all over Shin's body. Shin's body turned into a lot of small mushrooms, freeing him from the tube
- Dokuga seems to remember En now. He proceeds to disguise himself in his suit. Ebisu introduced 'Kaiko' to En. En steals Ebisu's shirt and Dokuga's pants
Spell 129: Speculative Hole
- Nikaido frees Caiman from the tube using the store knife. She sees the floating figure. It has a tail like a devil's. She advises Prof to bring Caiman inside of the funeral home. She fights with 'it'
- 'It' attacked Nikaido using its tubes. She successfully cut them off using the store knife but remain cautious
- Meanwhile, Caiman is not feeling so hot. The liquid coming from the tube is the same substance as the one that Ai threw up
- Prof Kasukabe tries to comfort Caiman. Caiman is free from 'him' so he advises Caiman not to give in. We see the bodies of the monks being taken away from their coffins by the tubes
- Risu is getting closer to his 'murderer'. Nikaido is still fighting off the tubes. 'It' finally showed his face. It's Aikawa's. When Nikaido asked who he is, he simply replied with "The Hole"
- Prof Kasukabe tries to alert Caiman about the dead monks. We see a mysterious floating body that rendered him speechless
Spell 130 : Extortion Completed
- The hole shrieked causing Nikaido to cover her ears and throw up. She dropped the store knife on the ground. It was immediately taken by the hole. He ripped her clothes (I don't understand why but..ok? Is the knife unable to kill Nikaido because she's still turning devil or The Hole is just perverted lol I don't see how this is necessary but ok)
- Nikaido is tangled by the tubes and her magic box was stolen by The Hole. Risu witnesses it and plans to stop him
- The soul (?) or body of the badly injured Ai stood on Caiman's shoulders. The dead monks proceed to torment Prof Kasukabe. We see Ai entering Caiman's body. His head starts to melt into the black substance (sludge) and he looks lifeless
- The Hole entered the room with Nikaido still tangled by the tubes. Prof Kasukabe is injured. Risu tries finding ways to save Nikaido
- We see Caiman turning into Aikawa. He thought that he has been napping?
Spell 131: Control vs. Control
- Aikawa is still clueless about what's going on. Nikaido used her devil's power to project her voice and thoughts into Risu. Nikaido advises Risu to get the store knife. The two are confused about Caiman/Aikawa's identity
- Aikawa saw 'The Hole' and mentions that it's strange to see himself like that? The hole proceeded to tangle him in the tubes and he bumped heads with Nikaido. He mentions that he's neither Caiman nor Aikawa
- Risu stops The Hole from cutting Nikaido and Aikawa's heads off
- Risu is able to engulf the knife's power with his Curse. This frees Caiman from the tubes. The Hole's hands are blown off, causing it to drop the store knife. Nikaido quickly told Caiman to cut him with it. He proceeded to cut his head off
- We see Caiman standing side by side with Ai. Before he was able to get Nikaido down, Nikaido is dragged with the headless body of The Hole
- We see the Curse swallowing The Hole's head. Caiman/Aikawa/Ai (IDK what to call him at this point. sis is tired) proceeds to carry Prof Kasukabe on his back. Curse/Risu mentions that he hasn't forgiven Aikawa yet. He plans to kill 'him' and save Asu and Nikaido (THIS IS WHAT WE CALL GROWTH! :') I love NikaidoxAsuxRisu dynamics so much)
Spell 132: Lock Out & Disperse
- Living Dead day is approaching fast. It gets cold during the time of the year. We see divers attempting to see what's going on under the dumping lake. They shortly died after diving for a few minutes. Everyone who was inside the store is presumed dead
- Dr Vaux, Thirteen and Johnson is depressed upon learning that Prof Kasukabe, Nikaido and the sorcerers might all be dead (when Vaux tried to comfort Johnson by saying that he would take care of him is so cute!!)
- We see Nikaido still being dragged somewhere. Even without a head or arms, The Hole is still alive. She wonders what would happen to her
- Aikawa and Risu are partners again and the two head out to find The Hole. The Store Knife is heavy and slippery so Aikawa tries finding something to wrap it with. Aikawa accidentally kicked something. They found Sho's head on the ground
- The sorcerers with their bodies being used to make Ebisu's dolls are getting weaker. They wonder if Noi is still alive. Turkey suspects that Shin's hammer might have destroyed Noi's devil's tumour. They plan to pull it out of her. Surprisingly Tetsujo is open to help too. Fujita wonders about Ebisu
- En conjures a portal door to go back to the sorcerer's realm. Ebisu mentions that it's raining over there which is why everybody left. En didn't believe her
- En found his mansion completely trashed. He also passed out from the rain. Kaiko (Dokuga) dragged him back. Ebisu mentions that the cross-eyes are the ones who destroyed everything. En promises to turn every single one of them into mushrooms
- En plans to gather supplies but no sorcerer could survive in that rain. Ebisu mentions that Shin can. He's half-human after all (but his body has been mushroom-fied)
Spell 133: Black Town
- Prof Kasukabe is not looking well but is not really out cold. He remembers Sho as a friend of Shins. Aikawa removes Sho's bandages to cover the slippery feather on the store knife. Prof mentions to Aikawa that he wants to study the head so he gave it to Prof to hold
- Since Risu knows where The Hole is going, they plan to head there first to wait for him
- There seems to be a town inside the central department store. Risu recognises the building
- Kawajiri is still stuck, blind and unable to generate smoke. Unwilling to die that way, he starts to call the people below. There's nothing much the heads can do because well... they're merely heads. Chota and Fujita try to remove the hammer from Noi's head. Turkey mentions that if the flasks were inserted inside of Noi, the hammer could be blocking its power
- Asu proceeds to call out for them but was ignored. The heads successfully pulled the hammer out of Noi. One of the coffins filled with sludge exploded. Something seems to be watching them
- En demanded Ebisu and Kaiko (Dokuga) to find all 326 mushrooms he turned Shin into to revive him. Dokuga memories are back. He's confused as to why Ebisu is covering for him. He flees and stumbled upon The Hole still carrying Nikaido. We see floating heads of Saji and Ushishimada
- A new head grew on the body of The Hole
- Prof Kasukabe grew weaker. Sho's head slipped from his hand and was dropped to the ground
Spell 134 : Swearing to the remains
- En studies Ebisu's doll. He calls it a terrible piece of work. As the magic wears off, he sees the body parts which it's made out of. He recognises parts of the body such as Chota's hand, Fujita's funeral shoe, turkey's oven mitt. He deduced that Turkey could've been desperate
- En finally realises that everyone's life is on the line. Everyone risked their lives for him (SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?)
- En wants to return the favour as the head of the family. First, he protected Judas's Ear with a mushroom suit. Ebisu returned to tell him that Kaiko's gone missing
- Ebisu found all but three mushrooms. En can sense them so they proceed to find it to revive Shin. En route, we see Sho's head on the ground. En recognises his face but can't seem to figure out who he is
- We see Kaiko (Dokuga) reuniting with the two and asking them to follow him as he found the remaining mushrooms
- Aikawa, Risu and Prof found the recreation of the hungry bug. 'He' recreated it from 'Aikawa's' memories. Aikawa told him that he misses Nikaido's gyoza (ugh, Caiman?). Risu told him that they lived together and that he has eaten her gyoza! HAHAHA of course Caiman got angry saying that they're his gyoza Lolol
- Risu asks Aikawa why the store sank but he remained silent. Aikawa seems to know where to go. They arrive at Central Hospital. Prof started seeing illusions
- Risu revealed that he was the one who stole the lizard head during the autopsy. Something triggered Curse that day. Something must've happened to the sorcerer who turned Caiman into a lizard (Ebisu turned into a zombie back in volume 2 when Caiman's head got cut off by Shin)
- Risu is surprised to see Aikawa with a lizard head. He asks him what he is
" My name's Ai Coleman. I'm human. just another guy living in the hole wishing he'd been born a sorcerer."(there you have it, folks. Although we already have an idea who he is, this volume confirms his identity )
- Ai shares that he wasn't pretending to be a sorcerer. He thought that he has turned into one. Turns out, he was only used by 'him' (The Hole?).
- The man that killed Risu isn't human or sorcerer. Everything started when he fell into the dumping lake
Spell 135 : The Devil's Gyoza
- It turns out the devils are watching the room with coffins. They even prepared a lot of snacks (MUST BE NICE TO BE DEVIL). Chidaruma mentions that Gyoza is missing and amongst the devils, Asu was the only one who knows how to make them. They see him hanging outside. Chidaruma commanded them to bring him inside.
- Turkey, Chota & Tetsujo are slowly dying. Noi is still lying on the ground lifeless. Fujita calls out to her
- One of the devils grabbed Asu using a portal door. He dropped his beer and the mug hit Noi's head. Noi's devil's tumour is seen to be badly damaged. However, one of the magic flasks broke and seems to be engulfing the tumour
- Chidaruma healed Asu's injuries. They put him to work. He's making gyoza and also grilling corn. He asks Chidaruma why he is here to which he replied they're there to see something interesting. A brutal, merciless show of life and death.
- Chidaruma continues his story from before
BIRTH OF SORCERERS PART 2
- Chidaruma found a new land where humans live in
- He didn't create humans. They're deemed as lower life-forms
- They didn't have special powers. They were undeveloped and weak. However, they were intelligent enough to build a civilisation
- About 100 years ago, Chidaruma kidnapped some of them to hell (wtf this sadistic devil)
- He did everything with them but started getting bored. So he went back to the human world once again
- He discovered that sorcerers had killed most of the humans. There was a mountain of human bodies. The bodies were so befouled that they wouldn't rot. Centuries later, the mountain was gone and was replaced by this black pit (DUMPING LAKE?)
- Chidaruma was the one who named it Hole (why am I not surprised?)
- Chidaruma revealed that they're inside the pit right now. The pit is an evil hole of magic and death. Over the years, it has become self-aware and has one desire (revenge on sorcerers?)
Spell 136 : Crazy Comeback
- We see Shin's mushroom body piled up in one place. En engulfed the mushrooms with magic smoke. Dokuga proceeds to kick En on the face, stopping the magic
- Dokuga plans to use Ebisu as a sacrifice to bring his friends back. En became enraged at the cross-eyes
- Dokuga drags Ebisu with him. Meanwhile, En uses his magic to stop them
- Shin head turned normal. He is happy to see En back. En is still trying to save Judas's Ear
- En turned Ebisu's head into a mushroom because he lied to him. The two managed to escape. En was planning to use his magic to engulf the entire place into mushrooms (learn from your past mistakes, man! stop being a drama queen) but was quickly stopped by Shin
- Ebisu's mushroom head discharged some spores. Dokuga inhaled some of it. We see mushrooms exploding from the inside of his body. Before En got to finish him off, we see a tube connecting itself to Dokuga' body, dragging it far away. Dokuga still grips onto Ebisu's arm causing her & Judas's Ear to be taken away too
- Turkey, Chota, Tetsujo and Fujita is almost dead. They all seem hopeless. BUT OUR BABY NOI IS BACK!!! YAHOO! I miss her so much :')
Spell 137 : Maze Trail
- Ai seems to be taking Prof and Risu to Prof Kasukabe's old clinic (where it all started: THE OPERATION I MEAN!)
- Kasukabe is not looking too well but is surprised to see his clinic. It was destroyed 10 years ago. He took out a tape recorder from his pocket to document what's happening (respect! this man is a researcher through and through)
- The place seems to be inverted. We see Ai's soul (?) getting out of Aikawa's body and the original body of Ai lifeless on the road, the time when sorcerers have killed him. Aikawa remains stagnant. Ai greets Prof Kasukabe. He plans to bring them to 'it' and share what actually happened in the dumping lake that day
- Noi proceeds to use her magic to heal the injured sorcerers but was distracted by the figure dragging Nikaido, Ebisu & Dokuga (Ebisu was playing with Nikaido's chest but somehow it disappeared??? )
I can rest easy knowing that most of them will survive and I can't wait to see what Ai has to say about the dumping lake and his transformation into a sorcerer! THIS SERIES WILL WRECK ME FOR SURE UGH. I'm going to hop onto volume 21 immediately
Bonus evil :
En has a diary and Chota plans to read it. We see Sho at Anten, a sorcerers bar. People get seated next to each other randomly and they talk and drink.
We see someone like Kirion saying that she's human?? and that she has fooled her co-workers?
Sho met with Chota at the bar. Chota asks him to do him a favour (read: steal En's diary)
Apparently, it's no ordinary diary. En uses the diary to write orders for Sho. Once he's done with the task, the order disappears (so cool!). I love Chota's antics, always. He can be annoying but I like having him around
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2022
In Dorohedoro vol. 20, En's back, Nikaido gets captured, and Aikawa and Risu revive their partnership to tack down the Cross-Eyes' boss- whoever or whatever he is now.
There's a lot to like about this volume as the story circles its end. It's quite well-balanced- mysteries solved satisfy readers, while questions unanswered prompt us to continue reading. We discover more about how The Hole and the Sorcerers' World through Chidaruma's storytelling and about the nature of the boss of the Cross-Eyes through both Aikawa and Chidaruma's interactions with characters around them. All of this is delivered with the madcap blend of violence and jokes that has made this series the ride that it is. This is no better illustrated than through Risu who having been dragged into this sequence of events without knowing anything about the key characters, their histories or what motivates them, is at turns angered, surprised and exasperated as he encounters seemingly endless new players with whom we are quite familiar. To wit- "Who is this guy?", he grunts in frustration when meeting an avatar of Ai Coleman for the first time.
As ever, a frustration with Dorohedoro is that key characters never seem to die. Although it appears that they're all being brought back for some sort of final confrontation, without the specter of loss hanging over them, some of the potential drama and tension is sucked out of the narrative.
There's a lot to like about this volume as the story circles its end. It's quite well-balanced- mysteries solved satisfy readers, while questions unanswered prompt us to continue reading. We discover more about how The Hole and the Sorcerers' World through Chidaruma's storytelling and about the nature of the boss of the Cross-Eyes through both Aikawa and Chidaruma's interactions with characters around them. All of this is delivered with the madcap blend of violence and jokes that has made this series the ride that it is. This is no better illustrated than through Risu who having been dragged into this sequence of events without knowing anything about the key characters, their histories or what motivates them, is at turns angered, surprised and exasperated as he encounters seemingly endless new players with whom we are quite familiar. To wit- "Who is this guy?", he grunts in frustration when meeting an avatar of Ai Coleman for the first time.
As ever, a frustration with Dorohedoro is that key characters never seem to die. Although it appears that they're all being brought back for some sort of final confrontation, without the specter of loss hanging over them, some of the potential drama and tension is sucked out of the narrative.
Read
January 14, 2017Dico la verità: leggo Dorohedoro ormai per inerzia. Sarà che ormai sono anziano e rincoglionito, sarà il fatto che le uscite hanno tempi dilatatissimi, è da qualche volume che mi godo i disegni di Q Hayashida (che fortunatamente è stato uno dei pochissimi mangaka con un tratto non proprio commerciale a essere importato in Italia e che seguo dai tempi di Maken X) e non capisco più un cazzo della storia. Sarà necessaria una rilettura quando finirà la serie. Anche se il sospetto che, pur con una lettura in blocco, a un certo punto diventi una giostra di morti e resurrezioni ad minchiam ce l'ho.
Vabbè, tra poco mi pare finisca. L'ho già detto che i disegni sono sempre stupendi? Ecco.
Vabbè, tra poco mi pare finisca. L'ho già detto che i disegni sono sempre stupendi? Ecco.
February 5, 2024
Everything is coming to a head...or multiple heads (some of which may already be dead). There are a lot of beans spilled in this volume, and I appreciate that it serves as a summing-up of the weird convoluted mess that is Caiman's backstory. Also, En! And a lot of high-stakes peril, and finally the backstory of The Hole itself, which is extra-gnarly. So excited to see how Hayashida brings things to a close in the next three volumes, but I don't want it to end!
December 30, 2022
fuck yeah en is back, noi is awake, aikawa and risu partnership renewed, nikaido kidnapped, kasukabe sadly dying and ai / chudaruma are teaching us the history of the lake of refuse / that thing inside the lake. v good volumes, im just gonna keep going until i finish bc everything is forreal coming together
June 5, 2024
Es un caos en el buen sentido de la palabra. Amo lo mucho que la autora da rienda suelta a los personajes, cosa que me sorprende página a página ya que son totalmente impredecibles. Este manga es de mis cosas favoritas en todo el universo y me rompe el corazón que me falte tan poco para terminarlo.
P.D.: Si Shin y Noi no terminan juntos quemo todo, de una.
P.D.: Si Shin y Noi no terminan juntos quemo todo, de una.
December 12, 2021
Everything is building up to such a brilliant climax and I’m so excited to see where this leads. Between the return of en and the ability to bring back caiman and also confuse the reader further on his existence is keeping me lured on more than ever. Brilliant brilliant Brilliant
June 10, 2023
Esse volume aqui quase me irritou kkk sempre que alguma explicação vai ser dada, ou trocam de cena ou o capítulo acaba!
Foi bom de ler, os personagens e situações são interessantes, mas senti que os “cortes” nesse volume foram pura enrolação.
Foi bom de ler, os personagens e situações são interessantes, mas senti que os “cortes” nesse volume foram pura enrolação.
December 23, 2023
Tras unos reencuentros "emotivos", saber más del misterio del lugar y como comenzaron un poco más las cosas, la situación no "permite" que podamos saber más, pero el final ya está a la vuelta de la esquina. La verdad es que se nota que la autora ha pensado cada detalle... y me encanta.
January 4, 2025
En makes a grand return, resulting in some disgusting mushroom body horror shenanigans. The Devil’s Gyoza was the best chapter - it was funny and insightful, giving us details on the origin of the Hole. I find myself preemptively mourning the ending of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
Not sure how i feel about En being back. He sometimes seems a bit "Mary Sue". Sad we didn't get as much Nikaido in this volume. Hopefully more in the next. I'm enjoying the constant twists and turns of the story. but I'm totally craving gyoza!
June 14, 2018
More of what I expect from this series. Gore, humor, oddly proportioned characters, food.
April 10, 2020
this was so much fun! and we are finally learning stuff!
I admit the devils and Chidaruma in particular are my new favorites, they are peak chaotic energy.
I admit the devils and Chidaruma in particular are my new favorites, they are peak chaotic energy.
October 9, 2020
Eh mais on dirait que c’est reparti!!
February 22, 2021
This is setting up great! I need the next volumes like now!
April 10, 2021
Another great volume with some wonderful visuals.
July 5, 2021
Se nos acaba, gente. Se nos acaba el mejor manga que ha existido.
July 22, 2021
Cada vez sabemos más y no tengo ni idea de por donde va a ir la autora.
October 26, 2021
Yoooooo, central department store arc is so damn good. I mean we had so many interesting backstories to support whats been going on and I'm thrilled for the final showdown
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