In the anime Dororo, the character Dororo is the child of the bandit leader Hibukuro and his wife, Ojiya. Hibukuro, whose name is presented in some sources as Hibikuro, is a central figure in the tragic backstory that shaped Dororo's life and resilient personality.

Hibukuro was the leader of a group of outlaws or brigands, a band primarily composed of farmers who had lost their homes and livelihoods to the encroachment and violence of samurai. Unlike common bandits who preyed on the weak, Hibukuro and his group considered themselves righteous brigands. Their code dictated that they would only steal from the samurai class, whom they viewed as oppressors who had taken everything from the common people. This principle defined Hibukuro's character and his actions against the feudal hierarchy.

Hibukuro's personality is described as possessing a fierce determination and strong will, traits he would pass down to his child, Dororo. He was a man of principle, committed to his cause of resisting samurai oppression and protecting the peasant class. This unwavering commitment, however, ultimately contributed to his downfall.

The motivations driving Hibukuro were rooted in survival and a form of social justice. In an era of constant war and suffering, he sought to create a means for his family and followers to live, even if it meant living outside the law. His primary goal was to resist the samurai who had dispossessed so many, reclaiming what had been taken through acts of targeted theft. He was not portrayed as a power-hungry individual but as a man driven by circumstance and a sense of righteousness.

Hibukuro’s role in the story is almost entirely within Dororo's flashbacks, serving as a foundational element of her past. His life and death set the entire trajectory of Dororo's orphaned childhood. The legacy he left behind, particularly a hidden treasure map tattooed onto Dororo's back, becomes a significant plot point later in the series, representing her parents’ final hope for her future and their continued resistance against the samurai class.

His most critical relationship is, of course, with his daughter, Dororo. He is implied to have been a loving and protective father, providing for his family as best he could in a broken world. His strong nature is directly cited as the source of Dororo's own stubbornness and courage. Hibukuro also had a trusted subordinate named Itachi, a man who worked alongside him in the bandit group. This relationship, however, ended in bitter betrayal. Itachi, prioritizing his own survival or ambition, turned against Hibukuro and conspired with the samurai. This betrayal led to a violent ambush that left Hibukuro without his legs.

Hibukuro’s development is largely a tragic arc of decline and sacrifice. He goes from being a powerful and principled bandit leader to a crippled fugitive. After losing his legs in Itachi's betrayal, he was forced to wander the land with his wife and young child, subsisting on scraps. His story concludes in an act of heroic, yet fatal, self-sacrifice. In a final confrontation, he managed to kill several of the samurai who were pursuing his family, dying in the effort to protect his wife and child. This death, while heroic, left Ojiya to fend for herself and Dororo until she too succumbed to illness and exhaustion.

Regarding notable abilities, Hibukuro was first and foremost a skilled and experienced fighter, capable of leading a bandit faction against trained samurai. His prowess as a warrior was such that his betrayal and the loss of his legs were necessary to bring him down. Beyond physical combat, his most significant ability was his leadership and his capacity to inspire loyalty among displaced farmers, forming them into a cohesive unit with a shared moral code. His strategic mind is also evident in the legacy he left: a hidden treasure, amassed from his raids against the samurai, which he intended to be used for a greater purpose, likely to aid the peasant cause or provide for his family after his death.