We love the aesthetic of medieval Japanese nobles, and Tahomaru cuts a powerful figure in his embroidered white robe and deep red kimono. With his ponytail, loyal retainers, and sharp eyebrows, he reminds us of Takumi from Fire Emblem Fates (but without quite as much of an abrasive personality). Later in the series, Hyakkimaru slashes his right eye in battle and leaves him with a badass scar that serves as a symbol for how Tahomaru has become a real samurai, not just a sheltered kid who has never seen a bloody battlefield.

By all rights, Tahomaru should have a happy life. He’s (supposedly) the only son of a powerful feudal lord, a covetous position that grants him luxurious living conditions, schooling, and servants at a time when the average person can barely afford enough rice to feed their family. He certainly isn’t ungrateful, but his mother’s emotional distance and his father’s refusal to let him fight in the war weigh down on Tahomaru every single day.

When he faces off against Hyakkimaru at the Banmon wall, he agonizes over whether to stay loyal to his father and protect their sovereign land or to let his brother take back the parts of himself that were cruelly stolen from him. Tahomaru finally decides to side with his father, but he still seems conflicted over it even after Hyakkimaru slices his eye open. What will he do when he meets his estranged brother again?

Tahomaru recognizes that Lord Daigo bargained with demons partially out of his own greed rather than true devotion to his people, so he vows to be better than that. He saves a small town from a rampaging crab demon with the help of Mutsu and Hyogo, his retainers who follow and protect him wherever he goes. He has known the two brothers since childhood and respects them as near-equals, earning their loyalty through fondness rather than fear. Compared to his father, he’s practically a saint!

Even though Tahomaru has nowhere near the fighting experience or resolve of his older brother, he still gets to crack some skulls. During the crab demon fight, he saves both the town and his servants from a watery grave by trapping the demon in a dam and battling it himself (demonstrating some pretty fantastic swordsmanship in the process). We hope he gets more chances later in the series to show off his skills!

This applies to almost everything in the 2019 Dororo anime, but Tahomaru is far more complex and interesting of a character than he was in the manga. In Tezuka’s original, his sole defining trait was that he was suspicious of Hyakkimaru and immediately wanted to kill him. He only appeared in the Banmon arc and died on the battlefield without ever learning that the silent warrior was his brother, so his entire reason for existing was to give Hyakkimaru and Lord Daigo yet another reason to hate each other. We’re overjoyed that the new anime gives Tahomaru an actual character arc and enough screentime to establish himself as a proper rival for his brother.