Caiman

Lore & Background

Caiman is a victim of a magic attack that left him with the head of a reptile and no memory of his original identity. He works with his friend Nikaido to hunt down sorcerers who enter Hole, hoping to kill the one who cast the spell on him and nullify it. Caiman's immunity to magic and formidable knife skills make him incredibly skilled at battling sorcerers. He also has the ability to regenerate his reptilian head, allowing him to survive lethal attacks such as decapitation. When not fighting, Caiman spends most of his time working at a hospital for magic victims and eating gyoza at Nikaido's restaurant, The Hungry Bug. The news of a lizard-man killing sorcerers—one with cross tattoos and magical resistance—attracts the attention of the de facto ruling sorcerer En, who believes Caiman is tied to the Cross-Eyes Gang.

Reader's Guide

Caiman is the central protagonist of Dorohedoro, defined by his reptilian head and total amnesia. His primary goal is to find and kill the sorcerer who cursed him, using a unique method: placing a sorcerer's head inside his mouth so the man living in his throat can identify the culprit. He possesses immunity to magic and can regenerate his head from lethal attacks like decapitation. He works at a hospital for magic victims under Dr. Vaux and frequently eats gyoza at Nikaido's restaurant. His hunt for sorcerers—marked by cross tattoos and magical resistance—draws the attention of crime boss En, who sends his enforcers Shin and Noi to eliminate him. Caiman's journey involves navigating the violent divide between Hole and the sorcerer's world, with allies like Nikaido, Professor Kasukabe, and Dr. Vaux aiding his quest.

World Building and Setting

The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic urban setting, spanning three realms: Hole, an ungoverned human favela megacity, heavily polluted from magic waste; the sorcerers' world, an ethereal, Gothic class society, controlled by crime boss En; and Hell, the afterlife of all sorcerers, ruled by demons presided over by Chidaruma. Despite similar outward appearance, humans and sorcerers are two distinct species; the latter were manufactured by Chidaruma in his realm, whereas the former occurred naturally in another.

Sorcerers can also use magic through a circulatory system, which disperses a black smoke that gives them distinct powers. Stronger and rarer powers are highly prized, to the point of directly affecting social status. Humans are forced to live in the slums of Hole, subject to unprovoked sorcerer violence and overwhelming magical pollution, whereas sorcerers live and travel freely between realms using conjured doorways.

Supporting Cast and Alliances

Caiman's closest ally is Nikaido, his best friend and owner/chef of The Hungry Bug. She found Caiman after his initial transformation and helps him hunt down Sorcerers. She is secretly a Sorcerer herself, living in hiding due to the desirability of her magic type, and maintains contact with a devil named Asu. Professor Kasukabe is a scientist who has studied Sorcerers for decades; he is approached by Caiman and Nikaido to use his artificial door to the Sorcerer's world. He is frequently seen with his sidekick, a giant humanoid cockroach named Jonson. Dr. Vaux runs a hospital catering to those altered by Sorcerers and employs Caiman as an assistant. En, the leader of the En Family, sends his cleaners Shin and Noi to kill Caiman, along with low-ranking sorcerers Fujita and Ebisu.

Adaptation History and Legacy

Dorohedoro was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazines Monthly Ikki (November 2000 to September 2014), Hibana (March 2015 to August 2017), and Monthly Shōnen Sunday (November 2017 to September 2018); its chapters were collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the series has been licensed for English-language release by Viz Media in 2009. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation produced by MAPPA was broadcast in Japan on Tokyo MX from January to March 2020, followed by a worldwide streaming release on Netflix in May 2020. A second season aired from April to May 2026. A third season has been announced.