REVIEW: ‘Dorohedoro’ Season 2 Episodes 1-3

Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3, produced by MAPPA, jump back into the punishing world of the series as the groundwork is laid for the next leg of the characters’ journeys. But before the story can move forward, it’s time to look back at the past of a few select individuals. 

Along with the character dives and peeks into the past, Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 have one major focus: reestablishing its world. With six years between this release and the show’s first season, it’s understandable that some fans might be a little fuzzy on what the show is all about. 

Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 waste no time pulling viewers back into its violent, unforgiving setting, filled with inequality and cruelty. Featuring some of the most graphic fight scenes in anime, the show leaps back in with both feet, providing visual shocks alongside its character introspectives. 

The opening of this season focuses on Risu as he searches for the person who killed him.

The opening of this season focuses on Risu (Soungdok, Trigun Stargaze) as he searches for the person who killed him. His journey to Berith quickly yields new possibilities for his search when he runs into the Cross-Eyes, who willingly take him to their hideout. This brings Risu closer to his goal, but his frustration mounts as he tries unsuccessfully to obtain the information he desperately needs. 

Risu’s side of Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 builds up the state of the Cross-Eyes, or lack thereof. With their boss gone and their supply of Black Powder running out, things are looking bad for them. Unsurprisingly, though, this fosters little empathy from Risu, who is convinced someone at the hideout knows who killed him. 

Risu’s snooping soon forces the Cross-Eyes members to have him hang around, literally; they hang him from the ceiling, giving him some time to look back on his life. This flashback focuses on his time at school as he was striving to gain the ability to create smoke, thus becoming a sorcerer. 

The flashbacks to Risu’s time at school have little impact in Dorohedoro Episodes 1-3.

Observed in a vacuum, this portion of Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 should be painfully impactful. The “determination” of their teacher to get the most out of his students by any means possible would send shivers down spines in most settings. However, here, it feels simply par for the course. Given the brutality that has already played out, it would be more shocking for the character to be a positive role model than a monster.

The second major thread in this trio of entries follows Kasukabe (Mistuhiro Ichiki, To Be Hero X), Shin (Yoshimasa Hosoya, Arknights: Rise From Ember), and Noi’s (Yû Kobayashi, Fate/Strange Fake) group. Hoping to get a message to Caiman (Wataru Takagi, The Rose of Versailles), Kasukabe leads some of the group to his wife, Haru’s (Ami Koshimizu, Wuthering Waves) home. 

Rather than find her there, they are greeted by an abattoir, as the home has become the abode of some deranged Cross-Eyes. Things rapidly spiral out of control as the new tenants set upon the group. Luckily for them, Shin and Noi arrive to aid in the ensuing fight in Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3.

Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 struggle to deliver a truly compelling action sequence.

The biggest problem with Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 is that it struggles to deliver a truly compelling action sequence. While the animation is great, and the attacks deliver a visual brutality that reinforces everything else that is harrowing about the show’s setting, the sheer amount of damage Noi and Shin manage to endure, without any significant or lasting effect, undercuts the tension and effect of the battle, reducing the visual elements to shock effects and little else. 

Amidst the chaos of the excursion, we do get a great moment of emotional payoff when Kasukabe is reunited with his wife, after a last-minute save pulls him out of danger. Haru is not what her husband expected her to be, which creates a bit of discomfort that the moment plays on skillfully. Despite Kasukabe’s unease with the sudden changes thrust upon him, he nevertheless emotionally embraces his wife’s presence, thankful that she didn’t suffer the fate hinted at. 

The stumbling, awkward quality that imbues this moment lends a powerful authenticity and grounding to Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3. Within all the brutal violence and absurdity, we get a moment of genuine feeling, one whose struggle to come together enhances its payoff. 

Kasukabe and Haru share a heartwarming moment in Dorohedoro Episodes 1-3.

That it takes effort for Kasukabe to process and accept what his wife has become makes the moment’s result far more profound than if he had welcomed it with ease. By allowing him a more human reaction to such a drastic change, his acceptance of it feels meaningful and earned. It helps highlight how special Haru is to him, that he will push through his own shock to accept her, whether she still resembles the Haru he fell in love with or not. 

The final thread of our opening episodes follows Caiman and Nikaido (Reina Kondô, Sabikui Bisco) as they continue to travel. They run into a local Cross-Eye named Natsuki (Sara Matsumoto, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) in Mastema, where they end up helping her out of some dangerous working conditions. In gratitude, she ends up tagging along.

When the trio arrives in Zagan City, Caiman breaks away from the group because he is drawn to the surroundings. Once he reaches a nearby school, he makes shocking revelations about his past as some of his memories return. 

These revelations prompt Caiman to scratch up his own face pretty badly, leading to Natsuki bandaging up his entire head so he can heal. Realizing how painful whatever Caiman learned was, Nikaido sends Natsuki for water, so she and Caiman can speak privately. 

Caiman’s fears draw Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 into another powerful moment.

Caiman’s fears over the hints he has about who he is draw Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 into another powerful moment. As he grasps his head in pain, Caiman tells Nikaido that he fears himself and what he might do, even possibly harming her. Nikaido responds by drawing him, holding him gently, and reassuring him that it’ll be ok. 

This moment of genuine warmth and compassion feels so strikingly powerful. This is not just due to the wonderful job both Kondô and Takagi do with their voice work, but also to how stark the moment contrasts with virtually every other scene in the trio of episodes. All the bizarre and brutal elements of the tale vanish for this fleeting moment, leaving just compassion and tenderness to claim a scene. 

Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 waste no time reestablishing its tone and cast for fans who have been waiting a half-decade for its return. While some of the brutality of its combat feels undermined by the plot armor some characters feel grafted with, the strong emotional moments and great story setup give plenty to invest in as the series launches into its new season. 

Dorohedoro Season 2 Episodes 1-3 are streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll. 

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