With its eye-catching visuals and color palette, bizarre world and characters, and willingness to lean into the gore of its dark-fantasy source material, Dorohedoro is a standout among MAPPA’s powerful roster of shows. Anime Trending spoke with director Yuichiro Hayashi, animation producer Koya Okamura, and creative producer Yusuke Tannawa at Anime Central 2026 to discuss how Dorohedoro Season 2 came to be and the nuances of 3D animation production.
This interview was conducted via an interpreter and has been edited for clarity.
When was the decision made to produce Season 2 of the anime? What was your initial reaction to the overseas response to Season 1?
Yusuke Tannawa: I can’t say there was an exact time when we decided to produce Season 2. After Season 1 finished, the international reaction was really positive, and everyone on the team was interested in doing Season 2. So time passed and we kind of just went for it. I apologize for all these years passing without saying anything, despite knowing that there was going to be a second season.
Yuichiro Hayashi: During the time we were making Season 1, I had already decided that there was going to be Season 2 even if everyone around me hadn’t been planning on it. [laughs]
Koya Okamura: It’s because of the fans’ reactions that we even had the possibility of creating Season 2.
What are some things from Season 1 that you learned and wished to take with you or change heading into Season 2?
Yuichiro Hayashi: I was pretty satisfied with Season 1 visually, so I wanted to bring that aspect back as-is. But we were also looking to improve the efficiency of the workflow and increase the quality of the show wherever possible. In particular, I used to do all the background layout myself on Season 1, but this time I was able to delegate it to MAPPA’s art team. We were also aiming to make the characters’ expressions more authentic and effectively capture the atmosphere of the original work in Season 2.
We also separated the 3D and 2D production assistants because having one assistant do both was too much. It’s a lot of pressure. In order to make that more efficient, we separated them so one person could really focus on exactly what we needed.
Koya Okamura: The main staff from Season 1 largely carried over to Season 2. At the same time, new members joined the production. Combined with the experience gained from the first season and other productions — many of which involved staff who had worked together on Attack on Titan and other projects — the team’s 3DCG work saw significant improvements. The quality and expressiveness of the 3DCG animation advanced considerably, allowing the staff to pursue movement and visual aesthetics that are increasingly indistinguishable from hand-drawn animation.
At the same time, the review and quality-control process was further strengthened. On the 2D side, new team members worked to capture Hayashida‘s unique artistic vision even more faithfully. The knowledge gained from other productions, together with the contributions of new staff members, ultimately helped shape and strengthen Season 2.
Season 2 has a lot more blood, guts, and gore than Season 1. Why?
Yuichiro Hayashi: The biggest reason is probably that Season 2 was exclusively for streaming. But also the original work itself has a lot more gore in this part of the story. During season 1, I thought many of the scenes with gore were fine. But when they told me that Season 2 was being streamed and suggested that we could do more gore, I said, “Yeah, let’s do it!”
I wasn’t sure how far I could take it with the gore for Season 2. We didn’t really know if it was going to be on TV or if it was going to be on a streaming platform. There are so many characters involved in the Dorohedoro anime and manga. Because of the limitations of TV, gore is sometimes only allowed up to a certain point — a lot of it may be blacked out, which doesn’t really make sense for the characters. So we had to find ways to make the characters closer to Hayashida-san’s vision. However, when it was decided that we were going to do streaming, it freed us so much. We were able to do a lot more and create that world.
The strengths and weaknesses of animation versus live action have been the subject of a lot of conversation, details, articles, and debate, with topics ranging from costs or speed of production, ease of use, and audience reception. Less often discussed is comparing CG anime versus shows that aim more for a 2D look or a hybrid. What do you think are the biggest advantages of the 3D production method?
Yusuke Tannawa: The biggest advantage of 3D animation is that it allows creativity to be exercised as a team effort rather than being dependent on individual artists. Work can be divided according to each person’s strengths, and when challenges arise, the team can collaborate on solutions. That makes it easier to maintain consistent quality and keep production schedules on track. In 2D animation, the final result can vary greatly depending on the animator involved, whereas 3D production offers a greater level of consistency. At the same time, 3D can be less suited to producing the kind of explosive, standout moments that 2D animation sometimes achieves. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, but if I had to point to one major strength of 3D, it would be its stability.
Yuichiro Hayashi: Also, camera work! I would say that the scheduling advantage of 3D is probably the best part.
Yusuke Tannawa: It’s also easier to do checks on 3D. Whereas one typically has to finish a cut and then present it for a check and see if it passes, it’s much easier to be able to fix issues and make adjustments through CG.
Is there a disadvantage that holds back studios from adopting 3D for more of their shows?
Yusuke Tannawa: The stability of 3D is great, but on the other hand, it doesn’t allow for change. That isn’t to say that there’s nothing we can’t change about 3D. It’s just that fundamentally, there are aspects that are difficult to adjust. These things require a lot of expertise and skill. 3D lets us create those really special character expressions that require those fine details. In 3D, the shapes are pretty much done, but making significant changes that are good requires a lot of technical skill, and those skills vary from person to person. So, it takes a lot more control from the staff.
Questions by James Mizutani and Melvyn Tan. Interview conducted by James Mizutani.
Special thanks to Anime Central and MAPPA for giving us this interview opportunity. Dorohedoro Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
