Summary
WhileAstro Boymight beOsamu Tezuka’s most well-knowntitle, it has risen to prominence again thanks to Netflix’s successful anime adaptation ofPluto, a manga by Naoki Urasawa that gaveAstro Boya modern spin. Another Tezuka classic,Dororo, received the same treatment thanks to creator Atsushi Kaneko, and that manga is now finally available to English readers.
In 2018, Kanekoreimagined Tezuka’sDororoin an 18-chapter limited series calledSearch and Destroy. Now, as revealed in a recent announcement from the comic book and graphic novel publisherFantagraphics, an English language volume will be available for Kaneko and Tezuka fans late next month.
The volume collects together the first six chapters of the series which originally ran between October 2018 and March 2020 inTezuComi, a special limited-time magazine from Micro Magazine Publishing Company that was established as a tribute to Tezuka in the run-up to the iconic mangaka’s 90th birthday celebration on August 08, 2025.
Tezuka’s Dororo Was a Story Before Its Time
A Dark and Gritty Tale that Combines Supernatural Forces and Advanced Technology
Tezuka’s originalDororotells the story of the ronin Hyakkimaru and the small-time thief Dororo. When they first meet, Hyakkimaru is weeks long in a quest to find and kill 12 demons who, in an unholy pact with his father before he was born, stole his limbs and other body parts. As a result of the kindness of a stranger, and later mentor, who found him abandoned as a baby,Hyakkimaru is provided with a set of special prosthesesthat not only gives him the same abilities as if he had his arms, hands, legs, and feet - but also superhuman skills.
Like Hyakkimaru, Dororo is also an abandoned child, with a tragic backstory. Seeing a bit of himself in Dororo, Hyakkimaru takes him under his wing, eventually developing his mentor bond with him.Dororowas quite dark and gruesome for its time, with the protagonist being born as maimed and disabled due to his father’s greed, and having to fight to literally recover his limbs from nasty demons.
Kenako’s Work Is a Perfect And Relevant Update to Tezuka’s Classic
While keeping the basic parameters of Tezuka’s original, Keneko’sSearch and Destroyupdates the story’s timeline from feudal Japan to afuturistic cyberpunk information society. Indeed,in Kaneko’s world, the idea of the integration of technology with human biology is now accepted and commonplace. Moreover, the supernatural demons of the original story are replaced by sentient robots who’ll do anything for those who can pay the “right price” in order to satisfy their own desires.
While Tezuka’s original was published in the 1960s, a time when neural networks,artificial intelligence, and a modern information society were interesting but abstract concepts, Kaneko’s update arrived at a time when, technologically-speaking, everything discussed was in the realm of possibility. Indeed, nowadays, with AI being built into nearly every aspect of life, learning, and business, Kaneko’s interpretation of society seems closer to fact than fantasy.
However, supernatural and technological aspects and angles aside, Tezuka’s originalDororomanga succeeds as a result of a well-crafted story that engages the reader. Kaneko’s interpretation keeps that same degree of interest and compelling storytelling technique. Indeed,Kaneko’sSearch and Destroyupdate ofTezuka’sDororokeeps all that makes it a classic while adding interesting modern-day tweaks that make it even better and more relevant to the readers of today.
Search and Destroy Vol. 1will be available from Fantagraphics on June 15, 2025.
Dororo
Dororo (2019) is a Japanese anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga. Set in the Sengoku period, it follows the journey of Hyakkimaru, a young samurai whose body parts were sacrificed to demons by his father in exchange for power, and Dororo, a young thief. Together, they seek to recover Hyakkimaru’s stolen body parts by defeating the demons that possess them.
