The meeting is far from the happy homecoming one might expect. Hyakkimaru’s calling Jukai "Mama" (Mother) is a poignant moment that highlights his childlike attachment to the man who gave him a second chance at life. The Weight of Humanity

Episode 17 of Dororo (2019), titled , is one of the most emotionally resonant chapters in the series. It shifts the focus away from the hunt for demons to the internal conflict of Hyakkimaru and his complicated relationship with his past. A Long-Awaited Reunion

Critics and fans often point to the visual representation of souls in this episode. Hyakkimaru’s soul, once pure white, has begun to show flickers of red—a sign of the human lives he has taken.

The core of the episode is the reunion between Hyakkimaru and Jukai, the doctor who saved him as an infant and raised him with prosthetic limbs. Having lost a leg in a previous battle, Hyakkimaru seeks out Jukai to be "fixed" so he can continue his relentless pursuit of the demons.

Jukai fears that by giving Hyakkimaru the tools to survive, he has created a "monster" who is now walking a path of carnage. He initially refuses to give Hyakkimaru a new leg, hoping to stop his path of violence. Visual Storytelling and Symbolism

Jukai is horrified by what Hyakkimaru has become. While Hyakkimaru sees his quest to regain his body as a righteous path, Jukai sees a man losing his soul to bloodlust and obsession. This creates a philosophical clash:

The episode also uses its setting—a desolate battlefield where Jukai is busy pinning prosthetics to corpses—as a grim mirror of Hyakkimaru’s own existence. It serves as a reminder that in the world of Dororo , healing is a long journey and self-discovery often comes with a heavy price. Why This Episode Matters

He believes he is entitled to his own body and will kill anyone or anything that stands in his way.