Dorohedoro Season 2 Kicks Off With More Chaos Than Ever

The Dorohedoro anime is back after more than six years, but if you didn't know this, you wouldn't be able to tell. The story is just as gritty, chaotic, and bloody as ever, but the mystery behind Caiman's identity is slowly resolving.

The premiere consisted of three episodes: we got to learn about Risu and Cross-Eyes, Kasukabe (and his wife!), more about Aikawa, who might just be Caiman or somehow connected to Caiman, and even a bit about En's lackeys. Shin and Noi's relationship continued to develop, and that is always heartwarming (no pun intended) to watch. Ebisu's flashback left me wondering about her background. I do wonder if she is somehow related to Aikawa.

I've seen people comment on the pacing, but I do have to disagree with those who claim it is too fast. The charm of the Dorohedoro anime partly lies in the fact that it doesn't let you breathe; it uses the chaotic plotlines to deliver fast-paced fight scenes, and it doesn't waste too much time on needless exposition.

I went into the second season straight from the first season rewatch, and the transition was super smooth to the point where it doesn't feel disconnected at all. The main staff, led by Yuichiro Hayashi at studio MAPPA, returned, and this probably played a big part in keeping everything consistent and flowing smoothly.

The action scenes, especially the fights, are impressive to watch, and the CGI feels less clunky, and the movements are more natural. Some of the transitions were giving the Windows Movie Maker vibe, but Dorohedoro always relied on similar elements to highlight the absurdity that the story creates.

One thing that especially complements the absurdity were the music choices. (K)NoW_NAME is back, both with music and theme songs. I especially enjoyed the opening; it matches the plot so far quite well as we are expanding past the Hole and seeing more of the world. I'm quite curious about whether we'll have multiple ending theme songs, like in the first season. So far, nothing has been announced.

Overall, the first three episodes of Dorohedoro Season 2 were a fun and enjoyable experience, mainly due to the incredible fights and our protagonists' progress on solving the mystery behind Caiman's head. They set the pace for the test of the season; Blu-ray listings indicate that we will have 11 episodes this time around. I'm not sure how much they can fit in the remaining episodes, and where we'll land at the end, but I sure am glad that it is back.

The anime is streaming weekly on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
© 2026 Q Hayashida, Shogakukan/Dorohedoro Season 2 Production Committee