Dororo - Why Questions of Morality EMPOWER Story

[@redqueen6802]

One thing we should be talking about when it comes to the plot of Dororo is bodily autonomy. Bodily autonomy is the idea that all human beings have the right to decide what happens with their bodies and that no one is entitled to violate that right. For instance, let’s say that someone needs my kidney to survive. I can certainly give it to them if I choose to, but no one has the right to cut me open and take the kidney against my will. Now, someone might say that this isn’t exactly like what’s happening in Dororo. In the situation I described it’s one person to one, and a person can live with just one kidney, so no one would have to die. So, let’s imagine that instead of one person needing my kidney, there were five people: one of them needed my left kidney, another the right kidney, another my heart, another my liver and another my lungs. Here, we have a one person to five situation, and the one person would have to die for the other to live. Again, I could choose to die to save the other people, but if I didn’t want to (and, for the record, I wouldn’t) should anyone have the right to kill me and take those organs? No, of course they shouldn’t. This is what happens in Dororo: Hyakkimaru’s bodily autonomy is grossly violated to save those people (who don’t even acknowledge his sacrifice and call him a demon). He didn’t have a choice at all, his body parts were just taken from him. The way I see it, he has every right to get them back. He has every right to regain his bodily autonomy. He should have never lost it in the first place.

Just a question, does being locked up in prison/jail count as doing something with the body?

[@fakebunny1272]

why not its gonna save 5 people?

[@unturned6066]

@@eIIe99 This is a good point - that these different characters are acting on different information; as far as the 'Daigo-camp' knows, Hyakkimaru's body was sacrificed, and they gained prosperity. In reality, these many demons were let free to do untold damage unchecked, so they were essentially stealing the prosperity of other people, and giving it to their own land, which makes this a selfish action; nothing was gained, they just stole something that wasn't theirs. One might even wonder what would have happened if the *last* demon had escaped - would there even have been people left to enjoy the prosperity? You also make a good point about the drought; maybe the real reason they have so much prosperity is because the demons are now elsewhere.

[@lunerlilly]

*spoilers* This is why I am glad hyyakimaru's mother said what she said. How his sacrifice isnt even properly praised.

[@solalalalala1988]

This is my whole ethics course subject in college. HAHAHAHAHA

[@alishee2989]

Sincerely I consider Dororo a masterpiece. The anime we never knew we wanted.

[@Jane_lotus]

Strongly agree ✨

[@jinhub2175]

You're absolutely right. Dororo left a mark on me and my heart is yearning for a season 2 😭❤️

[@jeramahia123]

The answer the show gave us is basically a reverse-pyramid: "the few cannot hold up the many" or "a land built on a single pillar of one person's suffering will be easily toppled over." It is of the duty of the many to make things better for the many, rather than pushing that burden on the few.

[@ForenzaAudio]

. . .this aged amazingly and hope we are to find ourselves in this before we find out we're at the end of the era

[@jinhub2175]

This comment right here.

[@remmysobanjo1410]

You are simply wise 😌

[@adakru5300]

I think Hyakkimaru is doing the right thing in killing the demons because they were still hurting people during the time he attacked them.

[@rainyrei707]

Yeah dude. Even if it gives prosperity to the land of Daigo, it still affects the people from in to outside of his land.

[@rainyrei707]

@Nathaniel Amachree Preye nah! How the hell can he enjoy it if it is forcefully taken by him? Daigo should have just accepted their land's faith. Whatever is happening right now, it's all his fault. He should never done it in the first place or he should just sacrifice himself than using others. And Hyakki has the right for killing demons because they took everything from him and his humanity. That may have bad effects to the people in Daigo's land but Daigo's sacrifice have bad effects on people outside of his land too so it's fair.

[@rainyrei707]

And Daigo doesn't even deserve prosperity for doing nasty things.

[@zeroanimation3956]

@Nathaniel Amachree Preye wow, you your logic is mindblown (sarcastic tone)

[@biazacha]

@Nathaniel Amachree Preye but while the land is prosperous, the demons still out there killing and eating people; so in this case the thousands of people safe and kept this way by not only Hyakkimaru's non-consensual sacrifice but the sacrifice of another thousands from other lands. By doing nothing knowing how the demons he hunts act, Hyakkimaru would be basically saying that the lifes of a few in the Daigo territory are more important them everybody else.

[@TonySharkks]

"We don't trade lives." - Captain America (End Game I think?)

[@ruthcavazos3621]

Infinity War, in regard to Vision's offer of sacrificing himself in order to keep Thanks from taking his stone. Endgame hasn't released yet. Great relevant quote! Certainly fitting for the show.

[@TonySharkks]

Good catch, thanks for the correction

[@kriptonite981]

Except as Vision pointed out, that's exactly what Captain America did. He sacrificed himself for the greater good of a larger amount of people.

[@feliperisseto9113]

That's the difference between a real hero and a sellfish villain: One is ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of others, the other is ready to sacrifice anyone for his dreams except for himself.

[@fakebunny1272]

i will never understand why people think that the absence of action makes then any less responsible for the outcome

[@trajano777]

Hyakimaru is in his right to kill the demons. first the deal was not of his own acord, second he did not start to hunt them, they would come to him and thats why he started to travel and kill them as they attacked. had they left him be he would have remain with his adoptive father in peace. Daigo is an asshole who cares only for his power and prestige. his "anything that's mine" deal started the whole mess and then his heartlessness to allow his wife to let their child to die in her arms as she begged allow Hyakimaru to live. had he show compassion towards his wife the child would have died and then his deal would not be jeopardize, but alas he is a scumbag. it is true that the people of his land have been beneffited by the deal but how many more people have been hurt or killed due to the demons roaming free? how many more would suffer if Hyakimaru had not kill them? the people of Daigo's domain are innocent, but their peace and prosperity was attain by the sacrify of an innocent and the subsecuantial suffering of many more at the hands of the demons who protect their prosperity. Tahomaru is interesting cause at first i thought he would be the useless son of a lord, but he turned out to be a very competent person who actually cares for his people. he has it rough cause he sees his obligation towards his people as greater than his morals that lead him to side with his brother. he is not wrong per se but i will hope he fails at stoping his brother.

[@13gondolla37]

I think Hyakkimaru's mother and brother are just as guilty as Daigo. They are acting out of desperation because they can see no other solution . Although their intentions are good they are still taking advantage of Daigo's quick fix either through inaction (Mother) or violent force (Brother). Since we know Karma is real we can see that continuing this pact with demons can only end in the same way that it was started, ruin.

[@cydnee9925]

I don’t know if anyone has talked about this, but the Buddha (I think) idol that hyakkimaru’s Mom always prayed to. When the deal with the demons was made, the Buddha’s Head was cut off. Also, in the battle between hyakkimaru and his bro, something happened and then it showed the mother’s Buddha idol, broken (atleast I think that’s what happened). So I think that if it wasn’t for that Buddha, hyakkimaru wouldn’t even be alive to begin with. It’s sacrificed itself to keep a little bit of hyakkimaru alive. It shows that the Buddha are still present in the land protecting, but maybe because of bad actions among the ppl, the Buddha had let go of their protection to teach the ppl a lesson. So I think that as long as hyakkimaru doesn’t become a monster, the Buddha will protect him. And maybe even once he defeats the demons (and daigo), the Buddha will bless the land. Basically, I think hyakkimaru has every right to take back what was taken from him (plus that bodily autonomy a comment was talking about). The Buddha might be helping hyakkimaru already.

[@fakebunny1272]

present or not he failed to protect the land so this Buddha is utterly worthless

[@aerialfishuu]

FakeBunny12 The Buddha didn't "Failed" on protecting the land, just like this person said, The Buddha let's go of his protection perhaps because of the bad action either from the people or the leader's (speaking about you, Daigo) The Buddha is eventually dissapointed and let the land to have their deserved karma, to teach them a lesson but that doesn't necessarily means that The Buddha had "failed" on protecting the land, I mean, what do you think Buddha is? He's not a mere human, he's the creator Dont you see, Hyakkimaru supposedly dead right after he was strucked by the lightning, but before he was born, Lady Oku prayed to the Goddess of Mercy to help and protect her, her prayer is heard and eventually passed down to Hyakkimaru aswell, making him alive even though he's lacking of organs Even since then, she constantly prays to The Goddess and worships her/him, making the result of protecting Hyakkimaru's life The Buddha only gonna helps the people who believed and prays to him, and the people who doesn't rate their selfish ambition above others. Did you forgot that Daigo doesn't even believe in Buddha again on episode 1? Reasoning it by the sickness and how the land is suffering? But what caused it? What can cause the land to be on such a shape? I believe its because of there's something that Daigo did that was againts what the Buddha's teaching, the Buddha then let go of his protection to the land in order to thought them a lesson. As we can see, Daigo seems like a person who cares nothing but power, underlining the 'power' gives me the sign that he would do anything to claim and spread his territory by using force, killing hundreds and thousands of people in order to complete his ambition, I mean who knows right? It doesn't said what did he do that makes the Buddha lets go of his protection, since he's the leader of the land, his action might affect his people too, its basically his fault So there you have it, a whole essay of my theory and prediction

[@fakebunny1272]

@@aerialfishuu failing or let go is the same thing

[@fanfangirl412]

@@fakebunny1272 ~~~~~~SPOILERS WARNING towards the end, don't read if you aren't caught up.~~~~~~~~~~ Perhaps that Bodhisattva/bosatsu (it's not a buddha) did not have enough power to save the land from war? However, it had enough power to protect one little baby from being totally consumed by 12 demons (barely) through the strength of Nui's prayer. It seems in Japanese "theology" the power of the gods come from the strength of their believers. If you have people like the priest who almost doubted buddha or daigo who like "fuck god, i have demons", or the many agnostic-like individuals, the god probably lost power. However, Nui seems like she has been a devoutee her whole-life. Her faith instilled just enough strength into the bodhisatta that it could just barely keep hyakkimaru alive, it couldn't negate most of the contract, only enough to keep one demon sealed and hyakkimaru partially alive.

[@aaronyearwood6541]

This is honestly the truth because if you watch over certain aspects of the show such as when he was to be drowned a Buddha was near by causing the old lady to change her mind and when he was found by his adopted father when he slipped while traveling to find him this shows that the gods where always present but no one seemed to notice.

[@gregperianayagam4522]

I think this is a little undercut by the possibility that it was Daigo's deal that let these demons free, so while they don't attack or kill on Daigo's land, they kill others from other lands, so the people of Daigo's land are basically standing on a country built on blood

[@kordeliiius9821]

daigo's pact with the demons helped his land but sent the evil elsewhere. the demons are still ravaging outside his tiny territory, killing passerbys, kidnapping maidens, and manipulating entire villages into doing their bidding. btw the mom's name is Nui, "oku" means wife

[@nicholasdiaz1925]

One thing about Daigo is that he didn't know what the demons would take from him when he made the deal. The conditions he set were that they could take ANYTHING from him in exchange for his land's prosperity. We see his cruel and sick nature when he basically celebrates the fact that they took Hyakkimaru's body, which for him was basically like not having to sacrifice anything at all, but he was prepared to lose anything before that. If the demon's decided to take something actually precious, valuable, and personal to him then it would come off as a much more noble decision. For him, he basically got lucky because he's not a loving father or good person deep down. He lost nothing. What he should have done was be more specific with his deal and offer something he truly cherished, so that the sacrifice only hurt him.

[@FiveOClockTea]

Apparently in the manga he was the "bad guy" from the start and was told the deal by the demons and still agreed. But I like how the adaption turned him into a more faceted character. You could also argue that the demons took his morality as well...

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

Hyakkimaru should continue, That god/godess his mother was worshipping could have saved the people after daigo and his land were conquered... We can't know how the world will change, so we shouldn't force it to our will.

[@fakebunny1272]

so basically in your correct world daigo would be fucked no matter what unless a god (who allowed all that bad shit to happen)decides to save him if so i congratulate him on discarding god and chosing the best route for himself

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@@fakebunny1272 ["daigo would be fucked no matter what"] ["unless a god decides to save him"] ["if so"] ["i congratulate him on discarding god and chosing the best route for himself"] AH now i got it, sorry, even reading three times wasn't enough to understand... I believe the land of Daigo was was going to be destroyed anyway because of the wars, so Daigo's Demonic intervention saved his land in the way HE WANTED instead of the way it was supposed to be. (you know, future day Nihon is united, not in constant war)

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

Let one guy conquer everything and you'll have an united land, Let two or more guys fighting to conquer everything and you'll have endless war.

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

(Japanese Kami are not all-powerful btw, not even all-knowing not omnipresent)

[@BlaxeFrost-X]

@Ryder Steel Don't ask me

[@Shynruu]

Should check out "The ones that walked away from Omelas" kinda low-key similar in some ways. Awesome video

[@ReplayValue]

Only one of the most famous short-stories of all time, I would go so far to say identical ethical dilemma (scapegoat) and asks similar questions of the reader. Only difference is that the scapegoat has a choice here. and I think that's really intriguing in how it can resonate throughout the second half, should they decide to go in that direction.

[@justtosmash]

13:16 what's the episode???

[@Shynruu]

@@justtosmash If you are talking about the scene, its from episode 7.

[@justtosmash]

@@Shynruu ohh!! thanks!!

[@solalalalala1988]

Already read that omg!!! I just realized just now! Omg!!

[@animeerik1481]

Moral greyness is one of the best things that a action story can have so its a shame that it isn't used more often. But the trolly problem get's brought up so often that I'm pretty sure it was not needed to explain what it was, because I assume that most people already know about it. If I'm wrong about that and people reading this didn't know about the trolly problem, then let me know.

[@Justlildude]

What's the trolly problem?

[@t3hsourcey]

I do think Hyakkimaru has every moral right to hunt down demons and reclaim his sense, or rather his Body. The curse of the land is caused by the War of the people, not because of some higher power, what we see is merely the manifestation of it. Nature requires sacrifices, yes, and that's embedded in humans just as well, but we have gone beyond the material sacrifices as well, like Hyakkimaru's case: He's alive. Daigo's ambitions had him sacrifice his child's future for a proper life, now that child will come back for him to pull him out of the abyss, as Hyakkimaru pulled himself out as well, alas Daigo is too rotten to be redeemed in such fashion, something he realizes only in his last moments. I guess I'm pretty Individualist on this matter. But I do get the Confucianist perspective, it's quite compelling.

[@fakebunny1272]

so you would damn all those people and likely hyakkimaru as well for the sake of selfishness

[@syedabdulkadir7745]

On what do you find the Confucianist perspectives?

[@stealthyshibe4904]

Prosperity? People get killed by those demons. It has also brought it's equal share of disadvantages which when put on a scale of loss and gain has nullified the prosperity. Everywhere Hyakkimaru and Dororo go is filled with ghouls and demons. They're not a minority. The land is now overflowing with ghouls thanks to Daigo.

[@vianjelos]

@@fakebunny1272 Those people could move, no one is making them stay in that land. Thats what you are supposed to do when land is barren, move on its what humans have done for all out existance. Thats why this isnt a moral dilema because they arent forced to stay and Diagos reasons for sacraficing is so he had land to rule. He could have just as easily moved on as well but his stubborness saw that it would be better to make a sacrafice and stay on barren land so he didnt lose any followers rather than leave and potentially lose people who we t other ways. Also his choice damned others as we saw the demons killed other people in other lands so its not like no one else was affected but Hyakkiamaru...there were other people affected.

[@fakebunny1272]

@@vianjelos nice except you dodged the dilema you ddnt face it so its meanignless

[@lickumdry6016]

Great inspection of this series. The one thing no one seems to talk about in this show is the idea that hyakkimaru is helping people by slaying demons. We are shown time and time again hyakkimaru is only killing demons and people who are truly morally corrupt at least in the first half. But the fact that he is stopping murderous beings is in itself benefiting the land and it's people in a more altruistic way than his father who knowingly chose majority over minority, despite the fact that yes those bad samurai hyakkimaru killed do most likely have a wife and kids still does not change the samurai's moral bankruptcy. It gets more morally complicated once hyakkimaru realizes the cost of his actions yet still continues to hunt the demons who stole from him. Basically what I'm getting at is hyakkimaru's actions have even more shades of grey than the railroad analogy implies. Hyakkimaru's actions are morally just since he saves others while finding and recovering himself albiet at the cost of his father's domain. So which is more important a hero of the few who was sacrificed by the one leader of the unknowing many or the many hyakkimaru has condemned who live the same lives as the people he has encountered and possibly saved that likely include people just as kind and deserving of happiness as Mio and the others he saved or tried to save.

[@luna5031]

This is a lose-lose situation, which in the story and in real life I'd say needs to consider some more factors: 1) one's developmental capacity for emotions and decisions (as to judge if just or not), 2) one's capacity to effect change. The premise being that no living being is pure evil albeit full of flawed beliefs, misperceptions, and unskilfulness. So #1 includes the fact that one is capable of processing and therefore feeling and deciding upon certain things within a limited range based on our unique makeup and development - Hyakkimaru learning about love, rejection, joy, grief and having had a very very isolated upbringing with all the implications that come with that, then we can speculate/expand about each character in a comprehensive & compassionate light as to be most truthful/precise to their capacities and limitations. And #2 includes the fact that when the root issue is still there one's choices/actions to change superficial circumstances may be moot - The Moth Demon that protected a village in exchange of killing all children plus current travelers showcases this point as the villagers' root problems brought the whole village into flames. My take is that potentiality is relevant here, as in, full bellys are important but not more than one's internal world, if inside is rotten to the core I prefer to starve. It's not all about survival, and who we are in the hard times tells us a lot about ourselves - particularly when having time to think as opposed to reacting... who we consciously choose to be in harsh times defines us most. The collective of the village's dark emotions and unskilfulness burnt everyone including children who had no chance to see if they could develop better and effect change: would Dororo be to blame for the child's life or the villager who in a selfish rage tried to keep all the rice left for themselves? In this case, the villager, because Dororo couldn't foresee this and it wasn't Dororo's direct intention or flaw consequence. So i think same logic can be detailed for Hyakkimaru and his fam but i better finish this text. All the best ❤

[@smac2739]

Another thing I find interesting, even from an intentionality based lens (like Kant/Duty ethics) is that while Daigo uses Hyakimaru purely as a means to an end with his decision (wholly unethical), now tahomaru is in a position where he’s not directly responsible for the inciting incident, so there’s a lot of room to play with how he faces Daigo’s original intentions and whether that’ll cause problems between the two of them even though it seems as of now Tahomaru is planning on keeping the status quo

[@smac2739]

Also, how’s the 3-gatsu watch coming?

[@DragonLandlord]

but going off the second episode, with the doctor raising Hyakkimaru, it shows that the demons are coming after him. Hyakkimaru's killed whatever comes after him, he's got no idea if the demons are the ones from the deal or not. not to mention it's implied the first one we see the monk kill was the last of the group Daigo made the deal with so who knows how the land's been affected because of it. personally, i think Hyakkimaru's in the right to keep killing. he's only shown care for three people, the ones Daigo rules over mean little to him and many more people are suffering because of the demons Daigo's deal set loose.

[@forwatching6708]

The problem with the expanded trolley cart question is It adds a new possibility, to stop the cart with a body. That opens up the option of self sacrifice, you are choosing to sacrifice someone ells over yourself to stop the cart.

[@Inndianka]

People of the land were suffering because it was their karma; karma isn't what you should fight, it's pointless, you can only postpone it. It may seem cruel but it's just a mechanical law, and we can assume that those people brought it upon themselves with their own deeds in this or past lives. Making deal with demons to manually change the karma, again, is pointless, since you will only postpone it and worsen the outcome. The right thing to do would be to deal with it with their own strength, help the people as much as they can and just endure the hard times. Hacking the system by magic will only result in kickback. We can see that the gods side with Hyakkimaru (first by interfering and saving his life, then by sending the right people on his way), because gods are guardians of karma. So Daigo's actions are existentially wrong, moral or not. Tahoumaru, despite his good intentions, falls to the same trap of assuming that he can, and must, protect people from their own karma. Daigo slyly passes it on his shoulders, making it seem like it's Tahoumaru who will be responsible for people's sufferings if he doesn't fight Hyakkimaru (more so if he tries to end the deal with the demons). Remember why Anakin fell to the Dark Side - because he wanted to save his wife from dying, wanted to cancel the karma. The Jedi seemed cold and cruel in their insistence to just accept it. I can see Tahoumaru becoming a Darth Vader (especially after Hyakki stabbed his eye) and I DON'T WANT THAT. This is already heartwrenching as it is. T_T

[@ApostlicNinjaGirl]

Of course, here we have a character (Daigo) who doesn't care about future karma. All he cares about is his lifetime, his reign, his power, his reputation, so on and so forth. So just postponing the karma is plenty for him, because all he cares about is himself.

[@Ahmad2000z]

the most moral decision is to improve the science of farming so they can grow the fields again

[@daphilakadong9914]

Instead of depending on 'unreliable' sources. I'd rather pull a 'Senku' from Dr. Stone.

[@larryisrealffs3088]

@@daphilakadong9914 THIS is literally what i thought too ahaha , 10,000,000,000% the most logical solution is improving the science of farming .

[@0Clewi0]

Sadly I don't think that we will see Hyakkimaru having a moral dilema as it seems that for him to get back his parts it's more of an instinct than a desire.

[@OcioCamaraMx]

Well... I don't remember where (if manga or game or both) but there was an adaptation where he had to kill Dororo in order to get the last part of his body. That wure would mess up his head badly if they decide to implement this in the story.

[@0Clewi0]

OcioCamaraMx it may have with the tattoo but I ask you in the future avoid posible spoilers making warning before commenting in parts of the other adaptations we haven't seen

[@rdc489]

@@OcioCamaraMx You should really add a spoiler tag or say nothing. I hope that this won't happen but if it does you just the surprise for me and some other people. You had fun watching it let others have their fun too.

[@OcioCamaraMx]

@@rdc489 I dunno, but after you question what would happen in the future of a series adaptation with a story already behind you are pretty much calling up spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled just avoid reading any kind of comments calling or wondering about what's gonna happen next. You are welcome, tho :)

[@rdc489]

@@OcioCamaraMx Then by your logic anyone who hasn't seen the other adaptations shouldn't engage with the series through anything else but the series which is stupid. If someone makes a video talking about this anime adaptation everyone who has seen this adaptation will watch if they like the title, thumbnail etc, and they'll want to talk to people about this anime adaption, a fun conversation discussing it. No one wants to talk about the other adaptations if they have nothing to do with the video or the things being discussed about, giving a very possible spoiler for no reason and then blaming other people for using a video talking about the recent adaption is dumb. And there's a difference between 'reading any kind of comments calling and wondering about what's gonna happen next' and straight up giving 'wondering' if another adaption which has been pretty much the same uptill now is gonna happen in the new one. It really isn't that hard want to talk about another adaptation? go anywhere where they're talking about that one. And i don't know why youre saying your welcome, you just look like a dick

[@chitralekhadhruw9329]

Dororo is the one of the best anime I've ever watched... it was such a emotional ride for me. And the question of morality and right and wrong remains the dilemma during the entire show. ❤❤❤

[@bethanybrookes8479]

the way i saw it by the end of the series, was that the outcome would have been the same eventually, but daigo chose to prolong it for his own glory, then let it all hit harder in the end when everything that would have happened over the years suddenly happened in one go, wheras if he had decided to be an actually good keader, he could have instead worked hard to prevent the issues orlessen their impact as it happened, and by the end he may have still had people and a kingdom.

[@DaiQilin]

There's no real moral quandry though. The moment the series acknowledges the fact that the Buddha and demons actually exist, offering a baby to demons is morally wrong for your moral enlightenment. Karma is acknowledged so for every good day they have, eventually their karma will return to them

[@crewmatewillthrowthesehand7600]

@Ryder Steel you never know. Daigo being the prick he is, probably led his nation into wars and as a result, karma fell upon his land. Mind you, he sold his soul not for the people's sake, but because he was afraid he wouldnt be a leader of a prosperous land. The thing is, Goddess of Mercy never left the land that Daigo ruled. The land was still being protected, which makes it clear that Daigo was making a deal with the demons for an entirely selfish reason. The fact that he unleashed the demons upon the earth, to terrorise lands that are not his, just so that his land would prosper and he would get the power and the personality cult he wanted, is enough to show that he was a major cunt. Salvation was coming (from the fact that hyakkimaru's survival shows that heavens were still trying to protect the land), but daigo didnt want salvation where he wasnt the centre of it. he wanted a quick fix to his solution to entertain his greed for power, and not the true salvation that would save the land. I believe that the droughts and famines were just the result of human action and karma. (considering how the entire place is a living hell with warring greedy samurais causing havoc everywhere. And i dont think Daigo is totally innocent either when all this happened) Instead of finding the true way to end suffering, he indulged himself in the power of the demons, and sold his soul. He didn't want just a prosperous land, he wanted to Rule it, without even deserving of it

[@fakebunny1272]

@Ryder Steel glad to see someone doesn't let their feeling cloud their vision of reality

[@crewmatewillthrowthesehand7600]

@Ryder Steel I think you are mad because you don't understand what Buddhism is. Even if it is not stated, its already implied by the heavy Buddhist undertones the show has used. Reincarnation and Karma are intertwined in a series that is heavily Buddhist in nature. The essence of Buddhism is that whatever you do is has a Karmic consequence. Even if you are innocent in this life, you would still have to atone for what you have done in you past lives. Hyakkimaru's past life could be why he had the bad Karma to become prey to the demons. What saved him was the good Karma he has left and his mother's deep prayers to the goddess of mercy. There are fate that you have written that cannot be interfered by a higher power. There are consequences that you have to atone for. One day Jukai will die and in his next life, he would have to atone for it. Unlike Christianity, you cannot pray away your sins. Buddhism is about owning to oneself about one's shortcomings and exercising one's morals. Only you yourself can change your fate by exercising your morals. It is not just in this world but also the next and the next. You yourself must accept the consequences that you must atone for. The illusion that demons give you will just make you stray further and further from the path until your soul is consumed with darkness and suffers for subsequent eternal lifetimes. The buddhists are very realistic people. We believe in 4 noble truths 1. Life is Suffering 2. The root of Suffering is Desire 3. To eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire 4. The way to eliminate desire is to exercise the noble eightfold path. All throughout the show, you can see many who have let desire and greed consume them, leading to the suffering of others and their soul. the show is at the moment where the cycle of rebirth and suffering is at the highest because of all the bloodshed and wars. All the bad Karma of the people accumulate and has led to ruining the nation down to its core. Basically becoming a living hell. This is what the demons prey on. And Daigo did not help the situation either, by setting them free and making them powerful by putting his son on a buffet platter for the demons. Daigo is foolish in dealing with the demons. Because he traded away the illusion of grandeur and power, for his soul to fall into hell. Daigo did not care for Salvation that saves everyone, he just wants a prosperous land he could rule while the rest of the world Rots under the demons he unleashes. Is that truly a "solution"? Does he really care for the people or for his fame and power? And Daigo's punishment is coming in the form of Hyakkimaru. Hyakkimaru is the Buddhist version of Moses at this point. Daigo did an even graver sin than selling his son to the demons. His sin is postponing (killing) the true salvation of the land and unleashing the 12 strongest demons to wreak havoc on other villages. By doing so, not just himself but also his people have to share the curse with him without even knowing. Because they benefit from the crime. Would you like it if someone give you bad karma without you knowing? And the Bad Karma is something that will follow you to your eternal rebirth? Well, what about the bible? Why not just punish the wrong doers? why does God himself kill all the Egyptian first born even though it is not their fault? In a christian context, whatever the circumstances maybe, if there is a God, dealing with the devil is Evil. So why can't the same be said for this manga? The fact that demons exist means that Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy exist. Plus this isnt real life. This is fiction where Buddhist influences are true. I think the answer is clear, if there is the Heavens, turning to Demons can never be good.

[@crewmatewillthrowthesehand7600]

@Ryder Steel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths#Dukkha_and_its_ending Karma is like fire. Does fire care whether you are burnt or not? It is your decision whether you put your hand into the fire. I liked that scene where Hyakkimaru stepped into the bon-fire, I think it was well placed and not just a shock factor.

[@crewmatewillthrowthesehand7600]

@Ryder Steel Like i said, if there is heaven, why do you make a deal with hell. Also in Buddhism there is no God. We translate it into Goddess of Mercy for easier sake, but actually she is Guan Yin, an individual who have attained enlightenment but instead of moving onto Nirvana, stayed behind to guide the people on the earth. She isnt someone who can make everything better with a flick of a switch. That is what Buddhism is all about. It is the fact that Life is suffering from the Karma of your actions and no supernatural forces can protect you from it unless you accept and atone. It is the belief that everything in the world is not permanent. What they enjoy now with Hyakkimaru's sacrifice, they will repay many times fold to atone for their sin of sacrificing someone against their will. Nothing is permanent, Life is just an illusion. To dwell upon it and to crave is to suffer. Also you have no understanding of Karma. Karma is not something you barter and bargain for like a trade item. You dont expect to buy good karma. What about those that have good Karma and are born as Tahomaru with everything in his life? But because he believed in his father, in the future, he is going to lose everything. Those with good Karma are born into good situations, some might even be born as good spirits in heaven, away from the blood and carnage that befell earth. Everyone is born with a mix of good and bad karma from their past life. Mrs Daigo for example had the good Karma to be born sheltered as a noblewoman, and yet she could never be happy as her bad Karma has made her live a life of suffering, praying for her son. it was only her faith in Buddhism in this life that helped her by keeping Hyakkimaru alive. Is that not true in real life as well? There are so many people who are rich and wealthy and yet so many committing suicide from depression and saddness. No one is born with everything good in their life. Every day of happiness is another day to sadness, everyday of suffering is another day to happiness. Nothing is permanent, and dwelling on the present's suffering and destroying one's future is pure Folly.

[@tofu4375]

SPOILERS: I really like the route that season 2 of Dororo took so far. Although Dororo is younger than Hyakimaru, she acts as a parental figure or older sibling to Hyakimaru. She teaches and guides him through his new senses and obtained humanity. But what's more, she is his role model. Everything that she does, Hyakimaru takes account to. Once Hyakimaru realizes that he could relate the "death" of his mother to Dororo's lost of her parents, he allows Dororo to guide his actions versus from before when he ignored her pleading him for rest. Now we face another similarity that the two character share. Dororo can either find the wealth that her father hid away and use it on herself OR use it to save the poor. Her situation may not be as intense as Hyakimaru's where self-sacerfice is on the line of life and death, but its just about the same. Hyakimaru is closely observing and imitating Dororo. He bases his moral decisions off of her actions and I am so excited to see where this takes him. :)

[@felzebub1762]

MARRIAGE!!!!!!!!!

[@im_sorry_i_forgot_my_username]

I really appreciate your use of the Psycho-Pass and Hyouka OST.

[@barbaragagner7053]

On the one hand, I kinda get what your saying with the whole moral quandary stuff. On the other, Daigo is that kind of guy that has pissed me off so much that him finding out the demons where the architects of his problems and his deal with them actively screwed over himself and his legacy would really, really be satisfying.

[@Kohana07]

I think Hykkimaru is in the right of slaying demons not only because it helps the people that wouldn’t have been help but also because I think the state of the land is going to return to its previous state weather Diego wants it to or not. Since the deal with the demons was only a bandage to the lands problem. It’s almost like a joke I saw where someone asked a genie for lots of money which he granted but the money came from somewhere else thus hurting the person or people the money belongs to. Stories have showed that deals with demons usually are higher cost then what the person thought it was worth and since the demons are the ones holding the cards what would stop the them for asking for even more in the future. For example Diego gave one son to the demons because his wife could have another. What if Hykkimaru was the only child she could have or what if in the future the demons ask for his other son or his son’s child in the future how far would they be willing to keep the deal going before one party tires of the other. That’s why I feel like the land will return to its natural state no matter what and Hykkimaru rushing that process isn’t a bad thing.

[@JJsims5504]

It's also interesting because the demons kill/hurt people, so by killing them Hyakkimaru is also helping people, adding an extra layer of moral ambiguity.

[@PersonWMA]

I read the events of this story akin to a classic tragedy, akin to Greek and Shakespearean, with people deluding themselves in believing they can overcome destiny, macro-scale history, whatever you call it. Tezuka's depiction of the Warring States has been that the 'default' of the time period is hellish. It's the reality of the time. Daigo's error is in his arrogant belief that he can rewrite the fabric of reality for the sake of his own ego, by sacrificing not only Hyakkimaru, but also the 'few people no one will miss' when the demons are let loose. He wants a shortcut to glory that he and several generations of people are simply not intended to have. The demons are the physical realisation of the fact that the prosperity the land has is inherently tainted and incorrect. Hyakkimaru's quest to destroy the demons is karmic, in other words. It's the reality check to the illusion that Daigo and the whole land is tragically wanting to deny. This reading interprets it not as a matter of utilitarianism, but inevitability. Daigo thought he could outwit fate, but in that classic literary way, his human dimensions of thinking fails and will continue to fail to comprehend that the deal with the demons was a cosmically wrong and temporary action that already began to fail the moment Hyakkimaru was born.

[@o0Avalon0o]

Playing Prey was the first time I encountered that trolly question, but as someone who has been described as an Agnostic Atheist & became a Secular Humanist through years of study, I really appreciated the simple, yet effective, moral question it posed.

[@jeramahia123]

Reminds me of Tales of Berseria. You play as Velvet, a girl who wants to murder her brother-in-law for killing and sacrificing her kid brother to save the world from demons then turned Velvet into a demon and imprisoned her so he could gain power through a ritual that fed on her hatred and sorrow. Now killing her brother-in-law, who's basically the chosen one and revered by the world as a hero, will bring on a cataclysm and unleash the demons on the people. And she knows that her actions are unreasonable, but she moves forward to do it anyway because the world doesn't deserve peace if it's willing to kill a little boy to attain it and then tell the sister to "Get over it - it's for the greater good". It says so on the back on the box: A tales of Emotions versus Reason.

[@DragonStar524]

What really sold me on Hyakkimaru's growth, was when he decided to spare his brother when they were fighting in the burning temple. And Tahomaru offering his own eyes to give his brother his sight back.

[@princessthyemis]

I LOOOOVE the title and everything it stands for, but I haven't seen the show yet, BUT I AM TOTALLY COMING BACK TO THIS!!! INTOXICATINGLY GOOD WRITING IS MY JAM!!!!

[@lambec7882]

Hyakkimaru has already spared the life of a "good" demon. The rest hurt the people in some fashion anyways so it doesn't make much of a difference if he kills them or not, accept he gets his body back.

[@neddles33]

So Dororo for the next Shiki? I can work with that. I'm ok with him still regaining parts, since the demons are still killing people and not watching people die in front of you rather than people taking what nature throws seems an easy bargain to me. If the village used to be prosperous before the run of bad luck it's not ruling out that the good luck could have returned, so skinning a baby is unforgivable in my eyes, even if he didn't have the nerves to feel it.

[@dazaiel8081]

The fact that you used Noragami OSTs was so soothing for me.

[@jalek99]

I think one thing that was not mentioned was that even though people in Daigo's lands may suffer from the demons being killed, people outside are also suffering directly from the demons existence in the world. How does this affect the morality of the decision to fight the demons?

[@DragonStar524]

When Dororo nearly drowned in the river after getting trapped by a rock, it was here where Hyakkimaru's slaying of the demons was turned from a selfish to selfless motivation. He was hurting himself, screaming and trying his darndest to free Dororo, frustrated that he couldnt do anything. He now saw himself needing to kill the demons to gain his body parts back, to protect and keep Dororo safe.

[@mappplesirrup8473]

I think that if Daigo or Tahomaru want to sacrifice Hyakkimaru because it is for the good of the land, they should be willing to give up there lives

[@Brian-ft4dh]

What an insightful and thought- provoking video! This is the reason I watch KZbin, to stumble upon videos like these. Please keep doing what you're doing!

[@positivepain2806]

Sense of righteousness vs the sense of pride. This show beautifully portraits this battle.

[@chxmpetre8147]

I found it really interesting that you brought up the fact that some people in the surveys would rather choose to sacrifice themselves instead of another bystander in order to save others (thoses guys on the tracks). I mostly agree that Hyakkimaru should carry on killing demons to regain what was taken from him. I think the analogy used in this video really is fitting to the anime's setting, although I can't help but feel like we are missing or misinterpreting something. To me, Daigo, rather than Hyakkimaru, is the one we should focus on in order to rationalize Hyakkimaru's actions. It seems like Daigo, at the time of making his deal with the demons, was the one "in front of the lever", so to say. He was the one who had to choose between sacrificing one's life (though at the time he didn't know it was going to be his son's), and saving his people. We are later shown that his decision was fueled more by his personal greed than his will to save his land. He asked the demons to "protect his land and its people in order for him to fulfill his great ambitions", if I remember correctly. In return, Daigo would let them take "whatever they wanted, anything". This is important. For the demons to honor their end of the bargain, they couldn't have taken Daigo's own life. By letting his greed transpire as he was dealing with them, Daigo effectively protected himself from the demon's potential wrath. Daigo chose to sacrifice one life to save many others, without caring for either choice, but more as a side effect of him wanting more power. Hyakkimaru just happened to be the one sacrificed to the demons. As such, I feel like he doesn't even need to bother pondering about if his actions hurt the many or not. Seeing as Daigo was the one who made the choice in the first place, he should be the one help accountable for the misfortune. Hyakkimaru (and we as the viewers) is confronted with a choice that stems from a decision he did not make in the first place. He has every right to reclaim what was stolen to him by his coward of a father.

[@savic1050]

Dude you... this vid is literary the type of dororo vid i wanted to see after the conflict between hyakimaru and tahomaru like you explored the whole topic soo well (Morality,decisions within the series) that even i cant comprehend how deep you went through this.

[@o0Avalon0o]

This review as well as the review by My Mother's Basement (it has a funny name but is a really great review channel), create a really thoughtful & more complete understanding of the show after a complete watch through.

[@Funloverparty]

I think the Demon's Extermination won't bring prosperity back to the land. But as we saw, Tahomaru was able to bring the people together and make a plan to defeat a demon, I believe that hinted to finding a solution to the devastation of the land via strong leadership and the land's people coming together to solve their own problems that were out of their control before.

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

The thing I loved most about this was the schism between Hyakkimari and Tahomaru, and ist also the reason why I call Dororo the "Ayn Rand anime" because what it comes down to in the end; is Altruism vs Justice. Tahomaru is not interested in power, nor is he afraid of his position as heir being usurped by Hyakkimaru, when he first learns of his older brother's existence, he feels nothing but sympathy for him, and when he sees his father send soldiers after him, he protest with the simple words "that is my brother!", he is disgusted by his father's past *abuse of Hyakkimaru, but he slowly comes to justify it, both out of a subconscious envy for his brother who occupied their mothers mind and affected their relationship, and a realization that even though Hyakkimaru was wronged, his being the land's patsy has allowed it to prosper when it was in peril before. Tahomaru's outward justification of his antagonism towards his brother is that Hyakkimaru must continue to suffer for the greater good, Tahomaru's philosophy is that of Altruism... only, he projects these ethics onto his brother. Hyakkimaru on the other hand has literally; only just learned to speak, and only months before; learned to hear a spoken language, one could say he is lacking the vocabulary to rationalize the twisted albeit understandable ethics of his father and brother. However, he still does know right from wrong, and he knows that he has been wronged. It was not his fault that the land of Daigo was plagued, he was never asked, he simply had his sight, his ears, his nose, his spine, his limbs, sense of pain, skin, and what other organs were too awkward to be shown in the story; stolen from him, and he has a one-track mind, to get them back, even if it means Daigo will suffer for it. Hyakkimaru's philosophy is not one of Altruism, but justice.

[@andreviana1902]

The one I find the most relatable of them all is Tahomaru. Unlike his father, he is genuinely worried about the well-being of those in the nation and gets quite horrified by the increasing starvation of his people. He knows his actions are inherently wrong, because they legitimize killings. And he goes as far as to capitalize his sentiment into tremendous hatred and dehumanization of his brother, given the lack of power he had over the situation. However, his purposes were genuinely to save the people and care about their well-being. He´s a true consequentalist(like you said). He isn´t selfish and narcicistic like his father. He takes actions based on outcome.

[@exoticphoenix7379]

Okay so I finished dororo & I don't have enough words to describe how much satisfied I'm with the ending. I know there are alot of people who are angry after seeing tahomaru, his mother & jukai's (hyakki's foster father) death. Honestly I'm happy how they all ended up. For jukai- he always regretted what he did back at war for which he subconsciously helped people as much as he can till death. For the mother- she regretted & always felt like a loser for not being able to do do anything for his son. Besides at the end she decided after seeing the mama horse that she must see his son even if she has to die. ✴️So people who never had regretting type of depression will never understand how painful it is to live with life-threatening regret. Your mind constantly brings guilt to you each time you breathe. It makes you feel like you don't deserve to live on.So they constantly wish to be dead to end this neverending sufferings.So I'm happy that they finally got peace with death. Because although they did mistake, they tried their best to atone for their sins & felt constant regret whole time. And acc to Buddhism, I guess they are forgiven already so yeah. For tahomaru- I felt super angry when he followed the same mistake his dad did (asking to demon), but later I cried FOR HIM AT FIRST. If he survived, he would've regretted for whole life due to injustice towards hyakki. And I bet his dad would continue using him as his heir. But I think he didn't deserve the death so early. And for daigo- I literally grumbled like when he will die, why his death scene ain't coming 🤬. But when I saw him going crazy & regretting after hyakki letting him go,I was honestly sooo happy that he will live with regret, blame himself for his wife & son's death & be lonely for his rest of the life. He needs some torture before dieing so that he can be an embodiment of such a cruel, selfish mistake.

[@delicatedissonance8025]

Your music taste is fantastic, all the OSTs used in this video are gorgeous.

[@o0Avalon0o]

Just found this. I love it. Subscribed.

[@luisreynamboarcos2958]

Sacrificing Hiakimaru is imoral given he is the only one who loses something (in fact, he loses everything), while all the benefits of his sacrifice are enjoyed by others (who loses nothing). And even if the outcome is the prosperity of the many, a comunity is formed by individuals. If you compare the suffering of any random villager with the one Hiakimaru has enrured so far is clear Hiakimaru has suffered more. The point here is that Hiakimaru is the only one who has sacrificed something (and maybe his mother) for the good of the many. Nor his father, nor his brother and certanly not the villagers who know nothing about the contract and for the contrary, think their prosperity comes from a heroic act. I am more of the philosofical line that states that humans are never tools, but an end in themself, so any action that objetified humanity is an imoral act. If the sacrificed was shared and the benefits were too, that would be a moral action. (sorry for my horrible english).

[@ReplayValue]

Kant's second formulation of his Categorical Imperative - "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end." Would you pull the lever to save 5 over the 1? If you take Hyakkimaru's suffering and compare it to any one person - sure he's suffered more - but how about in totality? Are thousands of people starving to death suffering less than Hyakkimaru's condition? Genuine questions, it's rare to find someone firmly planted on the side of judgement based purely on actions.

[@luisreynamboarcos2958]

@@ReplayValue The problem with the train experiment is that is designed to exclude any other option, but not any moral dilema is a binary one. That's what is so facinating of Dororo, everyone is thinking only in a binary sistem so nobody is thinking in options. For me, the hint that the demons are the cause of the starving in the first place is in fact, the perfect counter to this binary way of thinking, given nobody is trying to deal with the problem from the root of the problem itself, only dealing with its symptoms. Other thing is that, if we accept the sacrifice of a minority for the benefit of a majority we are opening a gate to more injustice based on that argument. If for the benefit of a ethnic mayority you should exterminate an ethnic minority, would that be moral?

[@ReplayValue]

If you're objecting to the hypothetical of the trolley problem because it purposefully creates a binary, then why wouldn't you object to the binary problem you pose in your final line? To be clear, even if you don't believe moral dilemmas can be binary (I personally disagree) - you likely framed your question as one for the same reason that most people do, because simple questions can sometimes give really illuminating answers. For the record, I'm in complete accord with your statement about them tackling symptoms - but frankly I'm speculating about the source of the famine based on one statement by the monk, that's info that neither Daigo nor Tahoumaru have and thus they wouldn't be able to tackle the root of the problem (in fact, Daigo probably would likely argue that he WAS tackling the root of the problem, and now is dealing with a symptom of his solution). Again, I was not expressing skepticism nor suggesting that you're ethical belief was wrong - I was simply asking for clarification since you addressed the first question posed by the video but not the second (is Hyakkimaru justified in hunting the demons) and I wanted to further probe on that. I hope I didn't offend you in any way, it was simply my curiosity.

[@luisreynamboarcos2958]

@@ReplayValue No offence, thanks for your answer. Yes, my own cuestion was based on a binary system, and it's not that I don't think moral dilemmas can't be binary (the trolley problem is one). But not all the moral problems are and the one in Dororo is not a binery one. As I stated in my first coment, what if the sacrifice were shared by the comunity? What if the sacrificed one was willing to do it as Hyakkimaru's mother was at the end of the last episode insted of offering someone with no agency at all? My own cuestion can be solved in this terms, I think. And in regard of your final cuestion, Hyakkimaru is in his right now to reclaim his body given it was stolen, he never gave consent to it, but if he would gave that permition before and then kill the demons to regain it, then he would be acting in "bad faith". His actions would be imoral becouse his consent was a lie from the begining.

[@gidthecook8892]

If it were a certainty that the people would suffer I believe Hyakkinaru would still have the right to kill the demons simply because they're living on borrowed time through his unwilling sacrifice

[@zaneviper]

An underrated masterpiece

[@brimmyburner7530]

absolutely INLOVE with this anime

[@seasun8137]

According to what i can see happening in the show, I think Hyakkimaru is making the right decision to kill the demons. It seems that the demons are protecting the land that Daigo has and the people outside of that land are suffering because of the released demons. I'm not sure if that is the case but it looks that way to me.

[@o0Avalon0o]

I learned something today & have a list of intriguing anime to watch.

[@vsmk8747]

i was waiting for you to cover this series!

[@melissabenito1376]

I think Hyakkimaru is right to recover his body, but I understand Tahomaru's intentions. I love this series. But mainly: it was awesome that you used a theme from Hyouka's soundtrack! I still have to catch up with your videos on the Kottenbu series, but I love them all so far! Thank you for all your content :)

[@felzebub1762]

Dororo: initially stealing petty stuff, with bandit parents, name derived from "dorobo" means thieve But also Dororo: teaches Hyakki humanity, whose body parts were *stolen* by demons. Mindblown.. I love the connections n little Dororo

[@tramasrarasoddplots]

I really enjoyed your video. Now that I saw the whole show, however, I have a lot of opinions. I think that for moral dilemmas on stories it's important to be constrained by the rules of the story. Specially with a show like Dororo that has a very strong opinion about the dilemma it gives us. For example, (SPOILER) in the episode with the moth demon. The humans of the town are given strange staring eyes. Even Dororo wonders if its leader is human. They lost a piece of their humanity with their trade. When Dodoro wonders in the end if they did the right thing, her doubt reflects one of the last conclusions. The struggle itself is what makes us human. In the end, I felt really sorry for the father. He was a powerful, educated man. Yet, he went over his head when dealing with powerful entities he didn't quite understand. He didn't know he was giving up his son up and it was only in the end that he wondered why the demons wanted to devour him so badly. His son was more valuable than his wealth but he didn't understood it until he lost everything.

[@zeruszephuros5419]

Just discovered your channel through YT recommendation. Really nice vids, analysis and explanation.....good job!!

[@echo.echo08]

In the train-tracks-and-lever analogy, the people are tied down to the tracks and can't run away on their own I'm assuming so it would be more understandable that most people would rather pull the lever to save the many and let one die. In Dororo, the people of Tahomarou's homeland are not tied down and they have control over their fate. Hyakkimaru doesn't owe them his life or his body. Let them work hard for their own prosperity--same as all the other people from the other lands--without depending on the sacrifice of one who already suffered so much since birth. I'm all for Hyakkimaru.

[@_Meretricious]

As I saw it. The ritual Daigo did was not a *sacrifice,* but an offering. Tahomaru isn't making a *sacrifice* by killing Hyakkimaru to save the greater good, he's merely offering him up again to continue living his undisturbed life. Hyakkimaru is in his every right to fight for his well-being, when people are trying to kill him for their well-beings. It would be completely different if Hyakkimaru was a willing participant in offering his body, but he isn't. If everyone's well-being is built on the unwilling offering of Hyakkimaru's body, they hold no possession over their well-beings.

[@Jobe-13]

I think that Hyakkimaru is certainly just in killing the demons and getting his body back since the only reason his father wanted to sacrifice him was out of self-interest. But his brother isn’t wrong for being against him for the sake of everyone either. I think whether or not a person’s actions are moral relies on what the true intentions of that person is.

[@SuperMarioSignature]

Its questionable whether killing the demons was morally correct. But I think it's inexcusable how Hyakkimaru INTENTIONALLY killed thousands of soldiers for his own sake. Even when they were unarmed or retreating. He could have easily avoided so many deaths, but chose to deliberately do it. At one point he mentioned he doesn't care about anyone else except himself (and maybe Dororo). Yet somehow he's the only person who faces no consequences for his actions.

[@shaneyzamora2525]

I can see everyone's perspective on why they're doing what they're doing, but in the end if you really think about it Daigo is claiming that he defeated the demons and sealed them away when the opposite is true. He unleased them upon the country and gave up his eldest without thought. A new baby with no say in what happens to him. Daigo's land should be indebted to Hyakkimaru for what happened, but they probably wouldn't be okay with not only their leader sacrificing his new born son, but also unleashing terror upon them and strangers. So Daigo knows what he did wasn't for his people, but for him otherwise he wouldn't have lied and would have kept Hyakkimaru, got his the prosthetics he needed cause he can afford it and everyone would be grateful to his son for the land they gave him. So really people should just stay out of it because of Daigo and the demons are causing many people to die, not only on his land but other parts too so really more people are dying because of Daigo than more people are flourish(its been 16 years after all).

[@Saltheartfreak]

You did wonderful explaining everything. I haven't thought so much about the moral aspect of Dororo, (couldn't really because I didn't know the words for it.) but you helped shed some new and more appreciated light on the topic. It would be interesting to see you take on The promised Neverland, since that manga and anime means a lot to many, including my self. Well done and keep up the good work.

[@smolpun8413]

Remembering Gandhi's comment on how the ends and means were inherently tied to each other. From that view, Daigo's definitely in muddy water not to mention the fact that he's probably expanded into other people's lands making that claim of universal benefit a lot less than we first thought.

[@smolpun8413]

Also, Lay Back is a good song my guy

[@nightraysoul4873]

i want to watch this so bad bc i LOVE this show but i can't right now i will definitely be back later

[@delicatedissonance8025]

This is a great analysis and video, thank you.

[@midoriya-shonen]

Another question this video raises: do the short term benefits outweigh the long term ones? As mentioned, the demons have been continuing to kill as they uphold their end of the bargain, and will continue to do for time immemorial until someone kills them. If we assume that the deal only holds water until Daigo's reign ends, can we truly say that Daigo's deal benefits the many over the few? On one hand, it's true that there are less people dying now even as the demons continue to hunt because of the deal. But as history marches on and Japan becomes more and more populated, the demons will continue to feast if left alive. How many people would they kill in their lifetimes, and at what point would that number eclipse the amount of people spared by the deal? Thanks for the video, it was a joy.

[@airyonbeck379]

When the delima came up in episode 12, my first reaction was to side with Tahomaru. But idk, it is hyakkimaru's body and thus his choice.

[@airyonbeck379]

Also, hyakki's decision was already spoiled in the part2 trailer. He almost sounded selfish to me when he said he would get his body back no matter the cost.

[@Mad_Alyx]

Very well done!

[@akaiyui9300]

Btw. Daigo sacrifices Hyakkimaru in order to make his land prosperous. Prosperous land - Happy people - Can generate manpower (soldiers, farmers etc.) - can use that manpower (soldiers to be exact) to conquer other lands. Pardon my slippery slope.

[@januaryfrost2872]

Ok, today is the first day of my philosophy summer class, i think ill save this video for future reference of my essays on morality.

[@N4p0100]

I think the story leans more towards the individuation process. You have to face monsters to realize who you really are as a personality, but in order to do that you have to be a little bit of a monster yourself.

[@crocodile5902]

Well in my opinion the story of Dororo is a story in which no side is wrong nor right, in which justifications for their convictions comes with their intentions, a Lord of a land justifies sacrifice as a means for prosperity and development however the intention of it is to increases their power and domain through War and conquest this is the story element of Dororo, in which a ruler has a justification to inflict the said sacrifice for the land to develop, but the intention of the justification is for self ambitions, if Hyakimaru decided to accept the fate of the sacrificed then it wouldn't matter in the end if the deal will continue as long as the sacrificed continues to live or if the contractor continues to live then the decision of the sacrificed wouldn't matter at all if the deal was like this, it wouldn't matter if the sacrificed decides to continue to live by fighting back and rejecting their fate or if they accept their condition and continue to do nothing. Honestly the story is well made and with a context that no side wins nor lose since the condition doesn't allow it, if Hyakimaru does nothing than the demons outside the land of Daigo will wreck havoc to other lands as we see through out the show, however he does and the context of karma is shown, as Hyakimaru slays the demons who took his essence of humanity the land in which it was contracted upon slowly loses its power and the contract dies out this is karma in which the sins of the Lord of Daigo is returned back to him as a result of his actions and ambitions, if he decided to not sacrifice his land and his son then the entire story wouldn't happen at all and the land of Daigo will naturally return to prosperity, the land was only barren due to War, famine, droughts and raids from other lands in which these are all avoidable if the Lord was much more capable, if Daigo decided to develop his land, improve diplomatic relations with his neighbors, developed agriculture and improve irrigation than the problems would've been solved and will continue to develop in the long-term however the Lord was lazy, desperate, ambitious and arrogant that he decided to go for a short term decision, this morality caused great suffering to the second party but the first party prospers while the third party watches and enjoys what they see, this concept is upright wrong morally and ethically, but if the results speak of happiness and prosperity then they couldn't care less to the second party, if the entire show revolved on the Lord and the land and not Hyakimaru then the viewers would easily see that Hyakimaru is the villain and the Lord is the hero of the story since we would only be stuck on the persona of the Lord and the land and not the second party however as stated earlier the justifications of either side comes with their convictions and intentions and in the end neither of them would win nor lose no matter what storyline it is no one wins nor loses that is why the story of Dororo is important morally and ethically since we see the persona of Dororo and story the character describes since at the end of the show the story will only conclude on how Dororo sees it and not how the story sees it

[@NoNameAtAll2]

5:50 Imo, the reason for the dissonance is that the guy sacrificed _his son_ Humans have evolved as a (somewhat) group animal, so we have the internal "defend members from our group "Here, the guy sent the closest person possible to him - and that changes the balance from obvious "one life for many" to not-obvious "closest person to you for many outsiders"

[@ludwigii9329]

He didn’t specifically sacrifice his son though. He said to the demons that they could take anything they want, that’s including anything from himself. He had no clue that they’d take his son. I’m sure people would look on him better if he lost his own senses rather than his child, even though the outcome and even the request was the exact same.

[@ashleyrhy5722]

To be honest, I think the most important thing to consider is the willingness of the sacrifice. Because Hyakki was an unwilling sacrifice, it was completely immoral and ge has every right to get his body back. It never should have been taken from him. If Daigo had offered up his own body, it would have been moral. I probably would have seen him as a hero, as would the people. I don't think there is ever a situation in which someone should be forced to sacrifice themselves for others. They can choose to if they want. But they shouldn't be forced. I used to believe that the ends justify the means. The end result is the important thing, not the motivations or how they got there. But then someone came back at me with this. "Tell that to someone who's dying for someone else's idea." What if Hyakki had been willing and then had changed his mind? That's a tough one. Let's assume that he was willing as an adult (because a child/minor should not be making life changing decisions). At that point, I think it would be immoral for him to try and take it back. Let's say that you donate your kidney to someone. But then a few years later, you decide you want it back. I'm sorry, but that kidney now belongs to them. You can't have it back.

[@eduardmanecuta5350]

I have a suggestion for you. Can you make a video about the importance of "mother" in Dororo? Thank you for your time. Very entristing video. P. S.: ENGLISH is not my first language... 😊Have a good day.

[@ashchisalleh1454]

It about war. No one want war. That the horror of War. But some people need it.

[@aisyahihromi3069]

Even my dad that not familiar with anime love this anime so much because the deep meaning behind this

[@ivansolodyankin6820]

I depressed, that you didn't mention Boogiepop in the beginning, it's hidden gem of the winter season.( Espessialy if you want some complicated moral or philosophical questions, because Boogiepop has tons of it) Good video, btw, i like it anyway.

[@SilentGlaceon94]

In regards to Tahomaru, I can sympathize with him to a degree. Once his father kicks the bucket, he'll be in charge of a sizable territory. It's the Sengoku Jidai, and his people are/were suffering. Someone mentioned this, but Daigo manipulated Tahomaru into thinking that killing his brother will mean that peace will return to the people. However, he also recognizes that killing his brother is morally wrong. Where Daigo wants Hyakkimaru dead for his selfish needs, Tahomaru is concerned about the people. We can see that Tahomaru isn't a bad guy, if anything he's a stand-up guy. He's cursed for being born in the wrong period essentially, along with Hyakkimaru. That said, I side with Hyakkimaru when it comes to the question, who is in the right. His entire life was started out dragged through hell and back, so it's natural that he get his body back.

[@mofuvsmith4641]

First video I watch from your channel and you got me instantly smashing the suscribe button, great video.

[@JohnnyJP7]

Sacrifices are only justified if the sacrificed accepts his role on this. Had Daigo thrown himself on the trails rather than pushing his son to do it, I would see him on a different light.

[@nicholasdiaz1925]

This is actually an interesting part of the deal he made. The deal he offered to the demons was that they could take ANYTHING from him in exchange for the land's prosperity. He didn't know what they would take, and he was most likely expecting to lose something that he actually valued, which was why he was so nervous and worried after making the deal. It only becomes clear that Daigo is a truly horrible person when he essentially celebrates the fact that they only took his son's body, because he didn't actually value the baby's life. To him, he basically just got lucky and came out with the better end of the deal, when he was most likely expecting to lose a lot. So prior to Hyakkimaru's birth and without knowing what the Demons were going to take, Daigo's bargain could be seen as somewhat more noble. Obviously that's not how things went down though, and in reality he was more interested in securing his own power and security as a ruler, but the deal he made with the demons wasn't necessarily selfish. He could have just as easily lost his testicles or something that only affected him, idk.

[@JohnnyJP7]

@@nicholasdiaz1925 Couldn't agree more.

[@XxjeffersonDkidxX]

Hyakkimaru should continue to hunt the demons,because he's getting back what was his,and that's enough for me. The act of chosing for other people to me is arrogant and more important immoral. If you want to chose in behalf others go on and do it,but don't go on and think you are just or an hero for it,even if it for the good of the majority, because you took something very important from the other,Their choices.

[@abode.x713]

That was touching i really hope to see the rest

[@BowserGlazer]

All I can really say is that it's his body and he's taking it back. Those who stand in the way would just be collateral if I were in his shoes as well

[@pennyinheaven]

Intentions are always important, at least to me, but still separate the morality of actions and means. It's my way of understanding the emotions, decision-making and personality of the individual. I'd say they should probably try to get around the deal with demons to save the country/village/land and have Hyakkimaru continue to kill demons to get his body back, if that is possible...

[@8MINNE]

Thank you.

[@MABfan11]

my favorite morality choices are those where all of the outcomes have terrible consequences and that even self-sacrifice brings with it some obviously bad consequences. not choosing shouldn't be an ideal option either and should come with some bad consequences

[@gearrogue]

i do think hyakkimaru has the right to kill the demons, i know it isnt everything and we dont know enough circumstances about it but if i remember correctly it was only Daigo's land that was being ridden with tragedies and other lands were doing fine enough, granted that the war between the asakuras (i think?) have made it complicated but if daigos land is dying then the people can just leave and find settlement in a different land, i know its not as easy as just saying it but they have options (though im not saying its without casualties as well) the only effect of that is daigo will indeed lose his power and status, because a leader is only held up by his people, and if they all leave for something better? then a leader is just a man with orders and hyakkimaru comes into play by ridding the land of demons, making it safer because the demons were still being greedy and killing innocent people even as hyakkimaru was sacrificed for their prosperity, they were very still much a menace as they are, apparently, keeping the land alive i know it seems idealistic, too much of a "everybody wins!" scenario if hyakkimaru kills all the demons, be completed, and inadvertently make the land a safer place for people to leave the plague like land but thats just my thoughts on it

[@charmainetan6216]

It would be nice to point out that the discussion of subjective justice for Dororo is set against a backdrop of war and conflict in the rather lawless Sengoku jidai. You can see this question played out on both sides where individuals in either country may view their enemies in rather absolute terms (good vs evil). However, I believe the writers are deliberately making it hard to take a side simply because they want to flesh out the reality that truly all morality is relative to where you stand on the battlefield and all humanity have both the propensity to effect goodness and disaster to the environment around them.

[@kiddfaith4397]

I’m still on the bench on whether killing the demons is right or wrong, but as the show progresses, I’m left wondering whether the demons were the initial cause of the land and people’s hardships in the first place. Yes, the land is lush and green once more, and there isn’t rampant plague, but that’s all the “protection” the demons are really giving. The demons themselves run rampant, killing innocents at will, demanding more human sacrifices than in the original agreement, and otherwise and causing hardships to the areas they’re located in. Instead of truly protecting the land in return for one child sacrifice, they’ve been using this “deal” as an excuse to run free and cause as much harm as they wish in exchange for lush crops and lack of disease alone, and are only keeping attacking armies and brigands at bay to a certain extent, and have been doing so since the initial deal was agreed on. It’s definitely an interesting question of morality, whether the demons should be allowed to continue this, or be killed.

[@lunerlilly]

Ok I'm going to pause at 5:53 the reason being that I think what he did was immoral. My reason for that isn't just sympathy for hyyakimaru. His father felt no regrets seeing what happened to an innocent baby, HIS BABY, who had just been born. He wouldn't even give his own son the mercy of dying in his mother's arms. This is where I think karma is doing its work. If you notice he is greedy for greatness and self centered. He won't even show his own wife proper kindness. To be frank I believe his father may have been completely lazy. I truly believe the land wad suffering due to his choices. You start to see more and more of this as time goes on. Where as the little brother banded his people together to make a dam. This dam can even be used to capture rain water for the future. Honestly I feel like the episodes regarding the crab demon were meant to show us that the son would make a better lord of the land. He doesn't fight for personal glory and he has mercy in his heart. Notice how even though he refers to his eldet brother as "their demon" he still calls him brother out of respect. He knows his brother isn't evil given his actions, he just wants whats safe for his people. So in his youthful logic he felt he had to fight hyyakimaru but at least he wanted a fair fight. Personally I think they would be fine if hyyakimaru killed all the demons because of his little brother. Unlike their father he is not greedy and thoughtful in his goals and ambitions.

[@Meow-pu5jt]

We should thank the midwife for letting Hyakkimaru live.

[@IamINERT]

I want my episode 13