Dorohedoro is crawling back into the anime spotlight with new details on its long-awaited second season. The official anime website revealed a new key visual illustrated by character designer Tomohiro Kishi, showcasing the series' signature grotesque yet stylish aesthetic. The artwork teases the return of Caiman, Nikaido, and the Hole's bizarre inhabitants, while also confirming key staff updates and locking in a premiere slot of April 1st, 2026, premiere at 11:00 p.m. JST (10:00 a.m. EDT). The season will stream "almost simultaneously worldwide" across various platforms, making it accessible to international fans with minimal delay.
Most of the creative team from the first season is back, ensuring continuity in the show's wild, grimy tone. Yuichiro Hayashi continues directing at MAPPA, bringing his experience from titles like Garo the Animation, Garo: Divine Flame, and Kakegurui. Tomohiro Kishi remains on character design duties, having previously shaped the distinctive look of 91 Days and Garo -Vanishing Line-. The new season sees some notable changes in the art department: Miho Sugiura takes over as art director, while Itsuku Onishi has been promoted to color key artist. These shifts should maintain the murky, textured visual style that defined Season 1's depiction of the Hole and the Sorcerers' world.
This announcement follows earlier reports that the second season had been delayed from its initial 2025 window. MAPPA's packed schedule and the project's ambitious scope likely contributed to the pushback, but the new date positions Dorohedoro Season 2 as an early highlight of the spring 2026 anime lineup.
The first season, which aired in Japan on Netflix starting January 2020 with 12 episodes, introduced audiences to the chaotic world of Q Hayashida's manga. The story unfolds in the Hole, a grim, rundown city where sorcerers from another realm kidnap residents for cruel magical experiments. Amid the violence, restaurant worker Nikaido teams up with Caiman, a towering amnesiac with a lizard head and an insatiable appetite for sorcerers. Their quest to reverse Caiman's curse leads them to hunt down the one responsible, but their actions draw the ire of En, a powerful sorcerer who dispatches his "cleaners" to eliminate the threat. The clash between the Hole's desperate survivors and the sorcerers' elite ignites a brutal, darkly comedic war.
Viz Media publishes the manga in English, and the first volume's description captures the premise perfectly: "In a city so dismal it's known only as 'the Hole,' a clan of Sorcerers have been plucking people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious 'experiments' in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, they're hunting and killing the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they'll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of 'cleaners' into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds."
Season 1 earned praise for its unapologetic violence, inventive body horror, offbeat humor, and standout animation. MAPPA delivered fluid fight scenes, grotesque creature designs, and a lived-in world that felt both fantastical and grimy. Hiroshi Seko handled series composition and scripts, drawing from his work on Banana Fish, Mob Psycho 100, and Vinland Saga, while [K]NoW_NAME provided the eclectic soundtrack that blended industrial beats with eerie melodies.
The second season will pick up where the first left off, diving deeper into the lore, character backstories, and escalating conflicts. With the manga already far ahead, fans can expect adaptations of some of the series' most memorable arcs, including expanded looks at the Sorcerers' society, new devilish allies, and more of Caiman's relentless pursuit of answers.
Dorohedoro has built a dedicated cult following thanks to its refusal to sanitize its violence or simplify its weirdness. The combination of body horror, slapstick comedy, intricate world-building, and a cast of deeply flawed yet oddly endearing characters sets it apart in the seinen landscape. The global near-simultaneous release signals confidence in the show's international appeal, especially after Netflix's strong performance with the first season.
As April 1st approaches, anticipation will only build for the return of one of anime's most unhinged and visually inventive series. Whether you're a longtime manga reader or someone discovering the Hole for the first time, Season 2 promises to deliver more of the grotesque, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt chaos that made Dorohedoro stand out. Mark your calendars: the lizard-headed sorcerer hunter is coming back, and he's hungrier than ever. Will you be adding this one to your list of anime to watch?