This article is part of a directory: Fall 2024 Anime Season: Previews, Episode Reviews, & Lore Discussions

Summary

Dandadan's rich storytelling explores cryptid myths and alien theories, adding depth and entertainment to the narrative.
Unique characters like Kinta, Turbo Granny, and Aira undergo growth and friendship transformations.
Momo's boldness and psychic abilities drive her to face dangerous entities for the greater good.

Dandadan's imaginative and rich storytelling tends to captivate viewers and leaves them spellbound. While the series delves into the supernatural and the mundane, it explores various cryptid myths and alien conspiracy theories through the lens of eccentric characters with complex backgrounds. Each of these characters, with their peculiar mannerisms and personalities, add a new layer to the show's narrative and make it more entertaining.

Dandadan: 5 Best Arcs In The Manga, Ranked

Every Dandadan arc is unique, but these five add a new dimension to the manga's character development, storytelling, and world-building.

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By Mirza Aaqib Beg

As they navigate challenges and supernatural experiences, the Dandadan manga beautifully captures their growth and evolving dynamics within the group. While Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandadan features several interesting characters, these are the most likable, bringing excitement and depth to the story.

8 Kinta Sakata

A Robot-Loving Teenager Who Overcomes His Insecurities

Manga Debut: Chapter 64
Combat Style: Nanoskin Manipulation

Kinta is an attention-seeking and obnoxious high schooler who is desperate to find a girlfriend. In his hopeless attempts to get his female peers' attention, he often comes off as creepy and immature. Kinta can also be condescending and disrespectful just to make himself seem better than someone else. However, his dark feelings stem from deep-rooted insecurities that have severely hindered his self-esteem and ability to form genuine connections.

Kinta's life is quite lonely and devoid of any meaningful relationships until he meets Okarun and his friends. As he appears to find a sense of belongingness with them, Sakata also discovers that he could use his obsession with robots to the best use. Kinta goes on to fight heroically for the greater good and demonstrates that he can be just as courageous as his peers.

7 Dover Demon

An Alien Who Chooses Earth As His New Home

Manga Debut: Chapter 20
Race: Alien

When the Serpoians ambush Okarun and his friends to steal the former's kintama, they hire an alien named Peeny-Weeny to help them. But after getting mistreated and dumped by the ruthless aliens, he is taken in and cared for by Seiko and her family. Okarun and Momo later name him Mr. Mantis Shrimp and end up befriending the alien.

As he feels among the group, Peeny-Weeny reveals that he was working for the Serpoians, as he needed money for his son's blood transfusion. Although he later tried to return and restart his life on his home planet, Dover Demon returned and ended up settling down on Earth, following which he became a reliable ally for Okarun and his friends.

6 Turbo Granny

A Dangerous Yokai Who Once Terrorized Japan

Manga Debut: Chapter 1
Race: Spirit (Yokai)

Turbo Granny, also known as 100 km/hr Granny, is a ruthless and conniving spirit who loves to play with her victims. Known for her cruel curses, she fused with an earthbound spirit sealed in a tunnel located at Shono City when she first meets Okarun. After a series of dramatic events, her powers are passed on to Ken, while her consciousness gets trapped in a maneki-neko doll.

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By Mark Sammut

Although she is known for terrorizing Japan, Turbo Granny appears to have a soft spot for the spirits of girls to whom she is known to offer comfort and support. After getting trapped in a doll, 100 km/hr Granny even helps Okarun and his peers with her advice on several occasions and has become an unexpected ally.

5 Aira Shiratori

A Bully Who Transforms Through Friendship

Manga Debut: Chapter 10
Combat Style: Yokai Powers

Aira Shiratori is an arrogant and narcissistic teenager who loves to put up an act to make boys fall for her while secretly looking down on them. Her delusions of grandeur are fueled by her popularity at Kami High, where she is regarded by some as the most beautiful girl in the school. Aira can also be incredibly petty and conniving when her ego is hurt, as she is willing to spread horrific rumors to assassinate someone's character.

While Aira is quite obnoxious at first, she goes through a dramatic change when she befriends Momo and Okarun. The supernatural adventures they experience together and the kindness she is treated with make her realize her mistakes. Shiratori slowly sheds off her superficiality and arrogance, becoming much wiser in the process. As she gets closer to the occult-fanatic duo from her school, Aira appears to feel more purposeful and begins to develop a sense of belonging.

4 Seiko Ayase

A Popular Spirit Medium And A Loving Grandmother

Manga Debut: Chapter 3
Combat Style: Barrier Casting & Bat Mastery

When Momo was little, Seiko Ayase decided to take her in and has looked after her ever since then as the sole provider. Although the two bicker and have their differences, deep down they care for one another. Seiko's selfless and empathetic nature shines as a guiding force for Momo and her friends, who rely heavily on her knowledge of the supernatural. As a spirit medium, she is highly respected and is popularly known as Santa Dodoria.

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By Naledi Ramphele

Seiko is often entrusted with making the tough decisions, and although her understanding of spirits is taken seriously, she has an immature side that regularly surfaces. She loves to embarrass Momo and her friends, often teasing them playfully in lighthearted moments. Her immaturity and mischievousness add another layer to her personality, making her an interesting character who balances wisdom with youthful exuberance.

3 Jin Enjoji

Momo Ayase's Childhood Friend And First Crush

Manga Debut: Chapter 27
Combat Style: Spiritual Power

Jin Enjoji is a hyperactive high schooler who used to be Momo's childhood friend until his parents decided to move to a village in the mountainside. While the two lost touch, Jin's life eventually took a tragic turn after living in a cursed house for many years. With his life seemingly under threat, he sought Seiko's help to exorcise the evil spirits that had haunted him and his family. As Momo and Jin reunited, they could not have imagined that their fate would intertwine more, drawing them into a series of supernatural misadventures that would change their lives.

Jin ends up becoming an indispensable member of Okarun and Momo's group. In the face of escalating supernatural threats, Jin always stands out with his hyperactive and hilarious antics. Aside from providing comedic relief, he always helps uplift the group's morale, even in its darkest moments.

2 Ken Takakura

An Occult Fanatic Who Falls For A Psychic

Manga Debut: Chapter 1
Combat Style: Yokai Powers

Ever since Ken was little, he struggled to carve a place for himself, often feeling like an outsider despite being around people his age. Isolation and social rejection pushed him to turn to occultism, which slowly became an all-consuming obsession. In his desperation to find friends, he even resorted to attempting to contact aliens, but all his efforts were met with disappointment. But Okarun's faith proved to be stronger than short-term dismay every single time, and he continued to invest himself in alien conspiracy theories.

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The Serpo Aliens from Dandadan are bizarre, otherworld entities. Here's why they are so unsettling.

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By Mirza Aaqib Beg

Ken's life seemed hopeless and depressing until he crossed paths with Momo Ayase, and the two quickly connected because of their shared interest in the supernatural. After he made his first friend, Okarun found himself opening up to new experiences. With each adventure he embarked on, Ken made new friends and became more confident in himself.

1 Momo Ayase

A Fearless Psychic And Ken Takakura's Love Interest

Manga Debut: Chapter 1
Combat Style: Pyschokinesis

Seiko Ayase's granddaughter, Momo, is a bold and confident girl who is wise beyond her years and shows remarkable courage in a crisis. Even when facing dangerous spirits and alien beings, she always braves her fears for the greater good and puts her life on the line for the people around her. While she can be hot-tempered and argumentative, deep down, Momo cares about others and is even willing to stand up for strangers.

In Chapter 1 of Yukinobu Tatsus' manga, when Momo notices Ken Takakura getting bullied by his peers, she does not hesitate to step in and defend the bespectacled innocent boy. Her actions not only change Ken's life but dramatically influence their relationship, setting the stage for their supernatural misadventures that intertwine their fates forever. She eventually discovers that she is a psychic like her grandmother, which shapes her identity and sets her on the path of self-discovery and individuation.

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