The Hole

Lore & Background

The Hole is one of three realms in Dorohedoro, described as an ungoverned human favela megacity heavily polluted from magic waste. Humans are forced to live in its slums, subject to unprovoked sorcerer violence and overwhelming magical pollution. Sorcerers live and travel freely between realms using conjured doorways, while humans in Hole have no such mobility. The protagonist Caiman wanders Hole with his friend Nikaido, searching for the sorcerer who cursed him. Caiman works at a community hospital for magic attack victims run by Dr. Vaux, who employs him as an assistant. Nikaido owns and operates The Hungry Bug restaurant in Hole, where Caiman frequently eats gyoza. The giant humanoid cockroach Jonson originally lived in the sewers of Hole before being adopted by Professor Kasukabe. Hole is also where Caiman accidentally tore off Ebisu's face after Fujita pulled her from Caiman's jaws through a door.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicked the cracked pavement as Nikaido stirred the pot at The Hungry Bug. Caiman sat across from her, his reptilian head unmoving as he waited for gyoza. Outside, sorcerers could appear through conjured doorways at any moment, bringing unprovoked violence and magical pollution. Dr. Vaux's hospital treated the victims. In the sewers below, a giant cockroach named Jonson mutated from the residual smoke in the polluted water. Fujita had pulled Ebisu through a door just as Caiman bit down on her head, tearing her face off. This was Hole: ungoverned, polluted, and the only home Caiman could remember.

Reader's Guide

The Hole is the primary human settlement in Dorohedoro, an ungoverned favela megacity heavily polluted from magic waste. Humans are forced to live in its slums, subject to unprovoked sorcerer violence and overwhelming magical pollution. Sorcerers can travel freely between realms using conjured doorways, but humans cannot. Key locations in Hole include The Hungry Bug restaurant, run by Nikaido, where Caiman eats gyoza; a community hospital for magic attack victims run by Dr. Vaux, who employs Caiman as an assistant; and the sewers, where a giant humanoid cockroach named Jonson lived after being mutated by residual smoke in the polluted water. Professor Kasukabe later adopted Jonson. Caiman and Nikaido work together in Hole to hunt sorcerers, hoping to find the one who erased Caiman's memories and gave him a reptilian head. Caiman's only lead is the full-size man who lives down his throat: by placing a sorcerer's head inside Caiman's mouth, the man's head will slide up Caiman's throat and verify if they are responsible.

Did You Know?

• The Hole is one of three realms in Dorohedoro, alongside the sorcerers' world and Hell.
• Humans are forced to live in the slums of Hole, subject to unprovoked sorcerer violence and overwhelming magical pollution.
• The giant cockroach Jonson originally lived in the sewers of the Hole, mutated by residual smoke in the polluted water.
• Caiman works at a community hospital for magic attack victims in Hole, run by Dr. Vaux.
• Nikaido runs The Hungry Bug restaurant in Hole, where Caiman frequently eats gyoza.