Creation

He was created by Osamu Tezuka. Translated, his name means 'Hundred Demon Hands'.

Origin

Hyakkimaru was doomed before he was ever born. One night, his father journeyed to a temple that housed the images of 48 demons, where he made a bargain. He would be given sovereignty over his land, and in exchange the demons would be allowed to take one part of his son each for themselves. Only a short time later was Hyakkimaru born.

The demons had accepted the bargain. When he was born, Hyakkimaru barely resembled a human. Without any facial features, skin, limbs or internal organs, he was deemed a monster and was ordered to be drowned in the nearest river. Unable to drown a helpless baby, no matter how slim his chances of survival seemed, Hyakkimaru’s mother and one of her handmaidens sent him adrift down a river in a basket.

Days and miles later, the infant Hyakkimaru was discovered by a doctor who was gathering herbs by the riverside, and took him in to try and help the baby with his affliction. In time, the doctor discovered Hyakkimaru was able to communicate with his thoughts. Over the years, Hyakkimaru learned how to walk, how to use his senses by other means, and how to talk. With the doctor’s help, a body fashioned from wood, glass and pottery was made for him, granting Hyakkimaru a body that could pass for normal.

Sometime after that, demons came to finish what they had begun with Hyakkimaru years ago, and tried to kill him. Utilizing the skills with a sword that he had practiced, Hyakkimaru killed the would-be assassins. But it wouldn’t be the last of them. Demons continually attacked him and his adoptive father, until one day Hyakkimaru decided that he would leave his home to discover the truth of his affliction and reclaim the body that was stolen from him.

It was about a year into his quest that Hyakkimaru crossed paths with a young thief named Dororo. That fateful meeting would propel his quest onward in ways he couldn’t imagine.

Character Evolution

Personality

While he comes off as stern and serious, he tries his best to be just another one of the kids. Even though this is difficult, due to his unusual affliction, he is often cordial with others and finds that he connects with children better than he does adults.

Always brave in the face of danger, Hyakkimaru never lets any fears he has known. Whether the danger is from demons, evil spirits, corrupt samurai, bandits or natural disasters, he always faces them with an unshakable nerve. His biggest fears are the failure of his quest and that Dororo may be hurt.

From the time that they first met, Hyakkimaru didn’t care much for Dororo, and only wanted to be rid of him. It was only after a short time that Hyakkimaru began to treat him as the brother that he never had. In Dororo, he found somebody who he could relate to and be himself with. By then, he tried to separate himself from Dororo for his own safety.

Appearance

Everything outwardly apparent about Hyakkimaru is false. His skin is made of pottery. His hair is horse hair. His eyes are glass. His tongue is clay. And even his arms and legs are nothing but solid wood. With all of that, he appears as a normal teenage boy. Beneath that façade, his body is little more than a limbless skeleton.

His clothes, while shabby, are certainly distinctive. His most recognizable garb is a black robe with crescent and heart shaped patterns all over it. Hyakkimaru wears little else, besides a sash to tie his robe, and wrappings around his wrists and ankles. In the original manga, his hair is white, but in the 2019 anime adaptation, he has black hair.

As the series progresses, Hyakkimaru regains the lost parts of his body, such as his eyes, his nose, his arms, his legs, his ears, his hair, his tongue, and even his voice.

Major Story Arcs

Meeting Dororo

While he is wandering the countryside, Hyakkimaru happened upon a group of thugs who were trying to drown a young boy in a river. Not one to let an innocent life be stolen, Hyakkimaru played it off as warning them all that a demon was approaching them. Unknown to the group of toughs, he wasn’t bluffing.

After a brief battle, Hyakkimaru found himself with a new traveling companion, whether he liked it or not.

Bandai

Shortly after meeting Dororo, the two boys come to a village where the people are regularly robbed of their earnings by a demon. A meeting with the town leader, Lady Bandai, implicates the involvement of a demon named Kanekozo. Hyakkimaru, however, is suspicious of the accusation, and decides to stand guard to catch the real thief.

Banmon

Somewhere in the countryside, the remnants of a great wall stands, dividing a once prosperous kingdom into two warring halves. Hyakkimaru tries to take a chance to leave Dororo somewhere that he won’t be hurt, but finds himself drawn back to him when he learns a secret about his own past, and the identity of the man who ordered the wall built.

The Cruel Cape

While tracking demons by the coast, Hyakkimaru and Dororo are separated when Dororo’s father’s former gang kidnap Dororo. While searching for his lost friend, Hyakkimaru has to contend not only with dangerous thieves, but also ruthless samurai warlords and another boy who is in cahoots with demons.

Nueh

The rumblings of rebellion in the kingdom truly begin here. Hyakkimaru comes face to face with his own past, and learns the identity of the people who made him the way that he is. Here is also where he willfully parts with Dororo, in order to let him live his destiny as the key to overthrowing the shogunate. Sadly, we would never be able to see the outcome of this story, as the series was abruptly canceled after this chapter concluded.

Powers

Soul Sight

Soul sight refers to the way that Hyakkimaru experiences the world. Though he is blind and deaf, he is able to sense humans, animals, demons and even the path before him by the shape of their aura. This allows him to sense just about anything on a deeper level than normal human senses would allow.

Telepathy

Instead of talking, Hyakkimaru simply moves his mouth in synch to thoughts that he projects into other people’s minds. When he concentrates, he is able to read the thoughts of others.

Prosthetic Weapons

Each of part of Hyakkimaru's body holds a hidden weapon. His arms act as sheathes for hidden swords. His foot detaches, allowing him to spray acid from his ankle. His nose can be taken off and used as an explosive. These are only a few of the many hidden gadgets that he possesses on his person.

Skills & Abilities

Swordsmanship

Hyakkimaru is one of the greatest unsung fighters in the land. He is able to take on multiple, fully armed and armored samurai, and towering demon behemoths with relative ease.

Agility

Astoundingly light on his feet, Hyakkimaru is able to cross the most treacherous terrain and dodge enemy attacks with little effort.

Alternate Versions

The 2019 incarnation of Hyakkimaru made a guest appearance in Young Black Jack. There, he appeared as a quadruple amputee named Hyakki Marou. Hyakkimaru’s story may be considered a predecessor to Black Jack. Hyakkimaru’s broken body was restored by a brilliant doctor, just like Black Jack’s. And the way that an artificial body is constructed for him is reminiscent of how Black Jack created a body for Pinoko.