Deaths are not uncommon in shonen manga, especially those that feature lots of battles. Doron Dororon’s first major death occurs in Chapter 30.
The following contains spoilers for Doron Dororon Chapter 30, “Night of the New Moon,” by Gen Oosuka, Camellia Nieh and Phil Christie, available in English at Viz Media and Manga Plus.
Doron Dororon has been serialized for a couple of months now, yet the manga’s Samurai have easily dealt with its worst villains. At least, that was true until the story introduced the culprit who brought the Mononoke into its world. Worse is that this same character is already on the move to hit the Samurai headquarters, and a strong Samurai officer’s death marks the start of their assault.
Upon learning that Mononoke started grouping near the Izanagi Corps Headquarters, the Samurai’s high echelon convened and came up with a defensive measure. All of its strongest officers — the Samurai Officers — were summoned. Most were tasked to defend the headquarters, while Namishiro Kitabatake led his team on an attack against the groups of Mononoke, where they also met Hanzo Miyamoto himself.
When Kitabatake moved to destroy a suspicious gate, Miyamoto’s sinister, bandaged figure appeared and was accompanied by a skeleton Mononoke, which immediately attacked Kitabatake. The attack was strong enough to break through the Samurai’s Divine Aid Isoname, widely renowned for its defensive ability. Seeing the level of Kitabatake’s strength, Miyamoto couldn’t help but think Goki Tsukahara’s power level wouldn’t match his own or even his subordinate’s. The villain’s snarky remark agitated Kitabatake, prompting the Samurai Officer to rely on the so-called strength of the heart.
Despite this impressive determination, his efforts still fall short as the only damage he’s able to deal the skeleton Mononoke is severing its arm. Kitabatake’s own body was left lifeless, leaning back on a tree in a sitting position. His courage and determination amused the skeleton Mononoke to a certain degree, but Miyamoto adamantly refused to believe in his supposed strength of heart. He closed Kitabatake’s lifeless eyes and gave his corpse as nourishment to restore the Mononoke’s lost limb.
After two days of no updates, those back at headquarters declared and accepted the death of the Kitabatake Team, but not without deep sorrow. His passing spurred the other Samurai Officers’ fighting spirits, prompting them to vow vengeance for their fallen comrade. Dora and Kusanagi were also gravely affected by Kitabatake’s passing. The duo’s determination increased and they even begged Tsukahara to teach them how to get stronger, giving the old Samurai an opportunity to preach about the so-called power of the heart.
Kitabatake’s death is not only a big blow to the Samurai, but also a big reminder of the seriousness of the upcoming battle. Since Doron Dororon has now killed off one of its stronger characters, it’s safe to assume the story won’t hesitate to take out one or two more along the way. The fact that even the mighty Kitabatake only managed to take the skeleton Mononoke’s arm in exchange for his life only adds to this dark likelihood.