In a world plagued with war where the strongest dominates and the weak become tools for conquest, an era characterized by non-stop bloodshed, famine and rampaging demons causing havoc in the physical plane, a Japanese samurai warlord named Kagemitsu Daigo fiercely searches for any means to protect his lands, title and people from any form of threat.
He runs into a forbidden temple where he strikes a deal with twelve demons seeking for protection and prosperity and in exchange the demons asks for his most valuable possession - his unborn child. Kagemitsu agrees to their demands, finalizes the deal and storms off to his palace.
On that very day, his wife goes into labor and births an unusual baby boy. The baby was born without any skin, eyes, nose, lips, voice and any internal organs, it is even a miracle the baby's alive. Sickened by the appearance of the baby, Kagemitsu orders his maids to get rid of it. But just as the maid is about to kill the child, her humanity kicks in and she decides to leave the baby to fate, allowing it float on the very river she was supposed to drown it. The baby drifts until it is rescued by a prosthetics maker who adopts him and names him Hyakkimaru. The man who aadopts him builds him wooden parts he is missing and trains him on how to survive the harsh world with his numerous disabilities.
Several years, the now grown Hyakkimaru left home and is on a journey to exterminate demons plaguing the land. He is unable to see, talk or feel but possessed an uncanny ability to identify demons. He spots a demon in a river down the village, engages the slug monster until he eventually kills it using the weapons integrated into his prosthetic parts.
The demon happens to be one of twelve demons his biological father made a pact with and after its defeat, part of his skin returns. This brought some form of revelation that Hyakkimaru can retrieve all that was lost after eliminating all twelve demons responsible for his condition.
This act of heroism also attracts a young orphan named Dororo who despite being unable to understand Hyakkimaru is able to create a bond with him. The two begin their adventures together in this cruel world confronting all kinds of demons as they travel. With each demon Hyakkimaru defeats, a part of himself is returned back to him which in turn creates another problem for the village. The missing parts also brought back with them new emotions foreign to him which sometimes overwhelms him and scares Dororo that the return of what makes him a complete human might just be a trigger into monstrosity.
After countless physical battles, the young hero is attacked by a conflict that cuts deeper than any demon attack, An encounter with his father who is the direct cause of his misfortune. Kagemitsu no longer sees Hyakkimaru as his son but a threat to all his accomplishments. This leads into ideological and physical confrontations with Hyakkimaru coming out as the victor. He chooses to spare his father not out of weakness but the strength that comes with embracing his humanity. Hyakkimaru continues with his quest to defeat the remaining demons living behind the life that has caused nothing but pain since birth.
The story of Hyakkimaru is very unique and relatable to society. It centres on how far man can go to satisfy his greed even at the expense of another. The story expresses pain, hardships of war and the struggles of boy who lost everything to life but is determined to get them all back even when the odds are stacked against him
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