If you’re looking for a good samurai tale by a legendary manga artist, you ought to stream Dororo. But if you’re having trouble finding where to watch Dororo, we can help.
This article will concentrate on the 2019 adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga. But while doing research, I also ran across other, older (and legal!) versions of Dororo. I found them interesting, so I’m including them as well.
Dororo History
In 1967, “God of Manga” Tezuka created a story about a wandering ronin and his young thief companion in medieval Japan. Dororo features a disfigured master swordsman with a curse, a lot of demons who need to be killed, and plenty of heroic, sword-swinging action.
Incidentally, the manga is not named after the cursed samurai Hyakkimaru, but for the thief.
It has some similarities with Inuyasha, but Tezuka’s vision of the Sengoku “Warring States” era gets a lot darker than Rumiko Takahashi’s version.
In 1969, the manga was adapted into a black-and-white shonen anime series. The series is a little lighter than the manga, but otherwise faithful to the original.
A live-action film version of Dororo came out in 2007, and a manga remake was created in 2018.
The 2019 anime adaptation doesn’t retain Tezuka’s distinctive art style, but the basic premise remains roughly the same.
Where to Watch Dororo Online
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- YouTube
- Google Play
- Crunchyroll
Note: All of the places mentioned are legal, licensed options. Our list does not include pirate sites.
1. Netflix
If you’re in Japan, or if you have a good VPN, you can watch Dororo on Netflix Japan. The episodes are in Japanese with no subtitles.
We tried Netflix in Hong Kong, France, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Great Britain, and South Africa with no luck.
How to Watch Dororo on Netflix via VPN
This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.
- Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.
- In the settings, choose Japan as your location.
- Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic
- Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)
- Search “Dororo” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.
Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.
To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.
I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.
Pros
- A large library of anime and non-anime content
Cons
- Limited language options
Language options: Japanese
Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic, $9.99/ month. Standard, $15.49/ month. Premium, $19.99/ month.
2. Amazon Prime Video
If you’re in the United States, Amazon Prime is your primary legal streaming choice, unless you use a VPN. (However, HIDIVE announced that it will have an English-dubbed version starting in 2023.)
Pros
- Decent selection of anime and non-anime TV and movies
- Can link Prime Video with other streaming channels (for an extra price)
- Free trial available for new users (if you haven’t used Prime in more than a year)
Cons
- Some videos have ads attached
Language options: Japanese with English subtitles
Price: New users can get a 30-day free-trial of Amazon Prime. Prime Video only: $8.99/ month; Prime: $7.49/ month for 3 months; $14.99/ month after that. Or $139/ year.
Watch Dororo on Amazon Prime Video.
3. YouTube
Madman Entertainment in Australia has a YouTube channel for dubbed Dororo episodes. You can buy individual episodes, or you can buy the whole season. The channel is geo-locked in the U.S.
If you’re in Japan, you can rent episodes of Dororo in Japanese. The first episode is free; the rest of the episodes are 220 yen each. (Although the first episode is free, you still need a credit card or PayPal.)
While we’re on the subject, Tezuka Productions put the first episode of the original 1969 Dororo anime series on YouTube for free. The episode isn’t blocked in the U.S. Apparently, this was done for the 50th anniversary of the series in 2019.
Pros
- Australians can buy individual episodes
- First episode of classic Dororo available for free
- Rent episodes in Japan
Cons
- Buying or renting episodes gets expensive
- Japanese only in Japan
Language options: English dubbed (in Australia); Japanese in Japan
Price: $2.99 Australian dollars/ episode for SD; $3.99 Australian dollars for HR. Season, $44.99 Australian dollars for SD; $49.99 for HD.
4. Google Play
In Japan, you can rent episodes of Dororo on Google Play. The first episode is free if you are logged in to Google.
I was able to watch the first episode with help from NordVPN — the website doesn’t ask for credit card information. The rest of the episodes do require a credit card or PayPal. In addition, all of the episodes are in Japanese with no translation.
Australia also has Dororo on Google Play. However, Australian Google Play doesn’t offer a free episode, and the pricing is the same as for YouTube.
Pros
- First episode is free (in Japan)
Cons
- Japanese-only in Japan
- No free episodes in Australia
- Same as YouTube
Language options: Japanese (in Japan); English in Australia
Price: Japan, rental: First episode free; 220 yen each for the rest. Australia, buying: $2.99 Australian dollars/ episode for SD; $3.99 Australian dollars for HR. Season, $44.99 Australian dollars for SD; $49.99 for HD.
5. Crunchyroll
If you want a glimpse of what the original Tezuka manga was like, you might want to try these unique “motion magazines.”
Dororo Motion Magazine takes the original manga pages, and adds sound effects, voice acting, and limited motion (similar to a slideshow). The result is something that’s more than a manga, but not quite anime. It’s a fun and interesting format which captures the spirit of the original.
Crunchyroll currently has only two 5-minute episodes, but it’s worth it if you already subscribe to the service. It’s not anime, but it’s not bad.
Pros
- Gives a look at the original Tezuka manga
- Huge library of recent and classic anime
Cons
- Motion magazine episodes are very short
- Not quite the same as anime
Language options: Japanese with English subtitles
Price: Free, limited-viewing account option; $7.99 for “fan” level; $9.99 for “mega fan”; and $14.99 for “ultimate fan.”
Watch Dororo Motion Magazine on Crunchyroll.
I hope that you enjoyed this list of Dororo streaming choices.
