Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Dorohedoro

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Bizarre anime series is compelling but extremely violent.

TV Netflix Anime 2020
Dorohedoro Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Dorohedoro TV Show: Caiman loves gyoza
  • Dorohedoro TV Show: Looking in Caiman's mouth to see if it is the right one
  • Dorohedoro TV Show: Nikaido and Caiman
  • Dorohedoro TV Show: Mr. En

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Haching
Haching Adult
August 31, 2020
age 10+

Great anime

I watched the whole anime and there is nothing too mature. But yes it is dark and violence is high too.
wizardortitan
wizardortitan Parent
June 28, 2020
age 16+

A fun gorefest

In case you somehow missed it in the CSM review, this show is bloody. VERY bloody. However, the extremity of it is slightly muted by the fact that the majority of it is in a fantasy context against characters who are able to recover from their injuries a lot easier than normal human beings could. The violence is the main reason the show is rated TV-MA; milder issues include occasional moderate language ('d*mn', 'h*ll', 'b*stard', 'sh*t', 'b*tch' - all fairly commonplace for anime dubs TV-14 or higher) and some mild comic references to a girl envying another over her breast size.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DOROHEDORO is a Japanese anime series about a semi-reptilian man with amnesia trying to recover his memories in a post-apocalyptic world. Caiman has a lizard's head and no memories of being fully human, thanks to a sorcerer who entered the human cityscape called the Hole to practice dark magic. Now the frustrated Caiman, along with long-time friend and diner owner Nikaido, violently hunts down sorcerers to find the one that transformed him in order to break the spell. It's a difficult and disheartening task, especially since there are a lot of sorcerers entering the realm to meet their practice quotas. There's concerns about zombies, too. Meanwhile, gangs from the sorcerers' dimension are trying to eliminate him, creating a fight between the two dimensions. But over time, Caiman learns more about his past, and begins to understand the events that led up to his transformation.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (10 ):

This anime series, which is based on a popular Japanese manga, tells a bizarre tale that mixes friendship, dark magic, and horror. Caiman is as inhumane as the sorcerers he battles, a fact that audiences are expected to justify as he attempts to uncover his identity. But he and Nikaido are easy to relate to, and their comfortable relationship is believable. Meanwhile, as secondary storylines develop and additional cast members emerge, viewers get a better sense of the colorful, but brutal, two-dimensional world they are negotiating. Overall, Dorohedoro tells an interesting story, and anime fans mature enough to handle it will find it compelling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about anime movies and TV series. Why are they so popular around the world? Are they all adapted from manga like Dorohedoro?

  • A lot of anime series for teens and adults features violent content? Why? Is the choice to incorporate violence based on the culture(s) anime comes from? Or is it an attempt to make them more entertaining? Can anime be as entertaining if there's no blood or gore?

  • Do you empathize with any of the characters? What kind of personalities are on display here?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate