Dorohedoro has arguably one of the most gruesome yet straightforward power systems you can find in anime. It does not rely on what-if scenarios because everything is well explained from the get-go. However, the explanations themselves can be extremely unhinged, to say the least.
So, to understand how it all works, we must first have a rough idea of the anime’s world-building. The world of Dorohedoro is divided into three distinct realms. One is the Hole, where humans reside with no magic power. Then there is Hell, where the devils reside, the strongest kind. In between comes the Sorcerers’ world, where sorcerers originate from. Now, let’s get to know more about them.
ANIME TITLEDorohedoroRELEASE DATESeason 1: January 13, 2020Season 2: April 1, 2026STUDIOMAPPARATINGS (as of April 19, 2026)IMDb: 8.0/10 (Overall Anime)MAL: 8.04/10 (Season 1)WHERE TO WATCHCrunchyroll, Netflix, Ani-One Asia
Who Are the Sorcerers?
Noi, En, Nikaido, and other Sorcerers from Dorohedoro | Credits: MAPPA
Sorcerers are individuals born with magic, meaning their physicality allows them to wield specific magic powers from birth. This means, in a conventional sense, a normal human being from the Hole, where Caiman and Nikaido initially stayed at the beginning of the series, will never be able to wield magic. So, it is exclusive to those who are born in the Sorcerer World.
Sorcerers are presented as more civilized life forms than humans from the Hole. While they can also train their physical capabilities, the main source of their strength is how well they can wield their magic. But how is this “so-called” magic even used in Dorohedoro?
How Magic Is Used in Dorohedoro
Doctor Kasukabe from Dorohedoro | Credits: MAPPA
As already mentioned, whether someone is capable of using magic or not is decided from birth in Dorohedoro. Why so? Unlike most fantasy anime that use magic power systems, Dorohedoro simply states that whoever can produce smoke is capable of performing magic.
Now, where does this smoke come from? As the basic component of magic for sorcerers, the smoke comes out of their fingers. Yes, it is that simple. There are no magic spells to be cast or divine illustrations to be drawn. The bodies of sorcerers innately produce smoke, and through training, one can improve both the quantity and quality of their smoke. So, the older you get, and the more you use your smoke, your magic power will also increase.
Interestingly, some sorcerers even use smoke storage devices like backpacks to boost their output during battle. Also, to train their magic, some enroll in magic user schools or institutes. For example, Kai and Risu attended classes to enhance their magic output.
How Magic (Smoke) Is Produced in Dorohedoro
Chidaruma in a still from Dorohedoro Season 2 | Credits: MAPPA
The production of smoke inside a sorcerer’s body is similar to how we produce blood. Basically, there is an organ in every sorcerer’s brain called the smoke gland, or the Devil Tumor, that is responsible for creating smoke. This is the source of their life and magic.
But how does the smoke come out of the fingertips? From its creation in the Devil Tumor, the smoke passes through a secondary circulatory system called the Smoke Veins and finally releases from the fingertips. Thus, it is nothing more than an anatomical process, with no superficial elements involved.
The smoke produced by the Devil Tumor increases in both quantity and quality the more it is used. At one point, it can reach a level where a sorcerer becomes capable of transforming into a devil. Kawajiri is one such example, and Noi also wished to become one but failed during the training process.
Another interesting phenomenon regarding magic in Dorohedoro, as seen in the series, is that it is very unique to each character. This means a sorcerer can only wield a specific type of magic.
Every Type of Magic & Magic Users in Dorohedoro
Well, there are certainly many types of magic in Dorohedoro, and each is unique to its corresponding sorcerer. So, instead of going over everything in detail in plain text format, here we have listed the major sorcerers from Dorohedoro along with the type of magic they use. Following this list will give you a clear idea of the various magic types shown in the series:
En: Capable of turning any living being into Mushrooms.
Nikaido: Can manipulate time.
Shin: Can slice bodies apart at a molecular level.
Noi: Can fully regenerate bodies, even from near death.
Dokuga: Emits toxic smoke that kills most living beings instantly.
Natsuki: Can manifest a large, impenetrable blob around her body.
Fujita: Can use low-level destruction magic.
Ebisu: Can turn people into reptiles (lizards).
Chota: Can manipulate or interfere with time-like effects, but has a limited usage.
Shou: Can use a sort of invisibility magic and teleportation magic.
Turkey: Can use clone magic, using food to create exact copies of people that mimic their habits.
Kikurage: Can bring the dead back to life using smoke.
Can a Human Be Turned Into a Sorcerer?
Ai Coleman in a still from Dorohedoro Season 2 | Credits: MAPPA
In a conventional sense, humans residing in the Hole are incapable of ever using magic. They are simply not physically built for it, and they do not even have a Devil Tumor. So, the short answer would be no.
Spoiler Alert !!!This particular segment in the article may contain spoilers from the show
However, there have been extreme exceptions as well, though they did not occur naturally. As shown in the anime, Doctor Kasukabe had long been researching sorcerers inside the Hole. He learned a great deal about their anatomy and also discovered the existence of the Devil Tumor.
Thus, when one of his acquaintances, Ai Coleman, was on the verge of death and wished to become a sorcerer as his final wish, Kasukabe performed an extremely complex surgery. The odds were certainly against him. However, miraculously, the experiment was a success, and Coleman became the very first human to possess magic powers. So, keeping this incident in mind, it is fair to say that turning a human into a sorcerer is rare, but not impossible.
Why Dorohedoro’s Magic System Appears Coherent
Dokuga in a still from Dorohedoro Season 2 | Credits: MAPPA
Dorohedoro’s magic system stands out exceptionally well, mainly because it follows a straightforward rule. None of it is as vague as some other shonen power systems can often be. It is not controlled by emotions, and sheer plot armor cannot give you power boosts to help you win a fight. In Dorohedoro, it is all about who is fighting whom. It relies on the matchup.
Every sorcerer has their own unique abilities, and what often happens is that it becomes hard to predict who would win. That is why the physical strength of a sorcerer matters just as much as their smoke abilities. Bare-fist fights are often seen settling conflicts rather than conventional magic battles.
Thus, viewers often feel Dorohedoro’s power system is more balanced and brings a refreshing spin compared to what we are used to in other anime. So, it is fair to say Dorohedoro excels in world-building and creating well-defined power scaling. For the same reason, even the manga is highly praised among readers. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.
Dorohedoro is currently available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
