Osamu Tezuka has been referred to as the Walt Disney of the anime world and is the creator of so many beloved manga series. Astro Boy, Kimba The White Lion, Black Jack, and Phoenix are some of his spectacular creations; however, the most recognizable one within the anime community at the moment is Dororo. Most people are unaware of the black-and-white era of anime and how much of an impact it had on the media’s growth.
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Dororo’s first adaptation was back in 1969, and the story remains the same. However, the hand-drawn animation, techniques, and general atmosphere that all anime at the time had made it feel like an entirely different show. Osamu’s dying words were, “I’m begging you, let me work,” while a nurse took away his writing equipment.
7Katanagatari
The premise of this anime may seem played out when you hear it for the first time. A group is going on a journey to collect 12 legendary swords to accomplish their end goal, but Katanagatari’s storytelling and writing make it one heck of a wild ride.
The story features a swordsman that fights without a sword after being recruited by a young woman, and each episode is about acquiring a specific sword. This creates an episodic flow to the anime. This anime does not fill the bleaker tone set by Dororo by focusing more on the adventure element, which is what knocks it down a couple of places on this list.
6Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is one of the few anime that, even after almost two decades after it started airing, can be enjoyed by any generation of anime fans. Even more so than a lot of modern releases we see currently. There are a lot of weird and eye-catching stories available nowadays that take something from history and modernize its music, movements, and people’s behavior, and Samurai Champloo was one of the first to do it.
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It features clashing blade action scenes with outstanding fighting choreography and emotionally invested story development that all build up throughout the series as the characters travel on an episodic-style journey. While its surreal elements are not as prominent as Dororo, the setting that Samurai Champloo creates is truly otherworldly.
5Somali And The Forest Spirit
Take everything about the world of Dororo that you know and love and flip it onto its head — this anime features a world of monstrous-looking beings with a sole human traveling through it. A golem with less than great social skills meets a small human girl, and they go on a journey to help return the girl to her people. The Golem acts as her protector and father figure throughout this journey.
When the central focus point of combat and aggression becomes relevant in the show, he also adds action elements to the anime. What pushes this up the list is the atmosphere of the show and how well it resembles the tones featured in Dororo.
4Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the most beloved anime ever, being told and repeatedly retold just because it is so well done. There have been many manga series that have drawn inspiration from Fullmetal Alchemist, meaning there areplenty of anime shows for fansto enjoy. In this story, two brothers lose various parts of their bodies due to breaking one of their world’s biggest taboos.
One ends up losing an arm and a leg, and the younger brother loses their entire body. The younger brother’s soul becomes bound to a suit of Armour to prevent it from being lost, and the duo goes on a journey to reclaim their missing body parts, getting into lots of intense fights along the way. So much despair befalls the brothers, and long-time fans have said how they still tear up during rewatches of devastatingly iconic scenes.
The overall atmosphere of Dororo is very reminiscent of Mushish, with each episode taking the story to new locations, each with its own unique feel. It is almost like an anthology series experience, except it follows the same character. Both of these animes have a very rich and interesting world they explore as they progress down their overarching main plots. The artwork that both feature is nothing short of masterful.
Mushishi’s use of foregrounds, such as small branches, adds a level of depth that most anime series don’t bother to explore or emphasize. Something that really elevates Mushishi above your typical anime is its gorgeous soundtrack. It has one of those gems of a soundtrack that instantly makes you feel something spectacular the moment one of the songs starts playing.
2Sword Of The Stranger
This film is set in the well-known Japanese Sengoku period and is a lone samurai-style story. One could imagine this movie being what a feature film follow-up to a series like Dororo would be like if such a film were to be made. It features so much more tension and intensity, driving a single and self-contained story element forward with solid pacing from start to finish.
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Both this anime and Dororo are hailed as some ofthe best samurai-style anime out there, and as the film goes on, the viewers learn more about the world setting and the characters that surround the main protagonists. These protagonists include a young boy and a skilled samurai warrior that meet early on in the story, similar to how things happen in Dororo.
1Demon Slayer
Dororo has a lot in common withDemon Slayer. They both strive to capture a Samurai aesthetic that incorporates a surreal and unique world setting filled with a supernatural evil that can decimate entire villages and people. Both the protagonists have had something important taken from them by demons and are on a journey to reclaim it.
They may handle darker and mature themes in different ways throughout each of their respective series, but both of them handle executing high-octane action sequences in the same manner. Despite its delving into darker topics, Demon Slayer continues to have stunning visuals that pay homage to the history of Japanese art while having a very clean-cut anime style of its own, earning it aplace among some of the best-looking animes out there.
