Dandadan

Dandadan
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Momo Ayase (left) and Ken "Okarun" Takakura in his yōkai form (right)
ダンダダン
Genre	Action Romantic comedy Supernatural thriller
Manga
Written by	Yukinobu Tatsu
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Imprint	Jump Comics+
Magazine	Shōnen Jump+
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 6, 2021 – present
Volumes	17
Anime television series
Directed by	Fūga Yamashiro
Written by	Hiroshi Seko
Music by	Kensuke Ushio
Studio	Science Saru
Licensed by	Crunchyroll (streaming) Netflix (streaming) NA: GKIDS US: Hulu (streaming) SA/SEA: Muse Communication
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
Original run	October 4, 2024 – present
Episodes	8
Anime film
Dan Da Dan: First Encounter (2024)

Dandadan (ダンダダン), also script displayed as Dan Da Dan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website since April 2021, with its chapters collected in 17 tankōbon volumes as of November 2024. The series follows two teenagers with supernatural powers fighting spirits and aliens with help from multiple allies.

An anime television series adaptation produced by Science Saru premiered in October 2024.

Plot

Momo Ayase is a high school girl who believes in ghosts but not aliens, while her fellow highschooler, Ken Takakura, whom Momo nicknames "Okarun", believes in aliens but not ghosts. In a bet to determine who is correct, the two decide to separately visit locations associated with both the occult and the extraterrestrial—Momo visiting the former, and Okarun visiting the latter. Momo is abducted by a group of aliens who accidentally unblock her chakras, enabling latent psychic abilities. Meanwhile, Okarun is possessed by a spirit who takes over his body. By using Momo's abilities and Okarun's possessed form, they defeat the aliens together.

The rest of the story follows the two, as they team up with fellow students, friends, family, and new acquaintances to fight spirits and aliens; the overarching plot themes include retrieval of Okarun's penis and testicles (kintama) and the development of romantic feelings between Momo and Okarun.

Characters

Main characters

The main characters of the series are the "Family" (家族, Kazoku), a group of kids led by Seiko dealing with the supernatural. The members of the Family who also attend high school at Kami High are also members of the History and Culture Research Club (歴史文化研究部, Rekishi Bunka Kenkyū-bu), which serves as a front for their activities.

Momo Ayase (綾瀬 桃, Ayase Momo)

Voiced by: Shion Wakayama (Japanese); Abby Trott (English)

A gyaru high school girl who believes in ghosts and the supernatural. After being abducted by Serpo aliens, she discovers she has psychokinetic powers, allowing her to visualize the "auras" of people and objects, and visualizes her power as giant hands to "grab" and control these auras. Because she has a crush on the actor Ken Takakura, she refuses to call Okarun by his real name because he does not look anything like him. Although initially not getting along very well, after defeating Turbo Granny, they become close friends and throughout the course of the story, she develops strong feelings for Okarun.

Ken Takakura (高倉 健, Takakura Ken) / Okarun (オカルン)

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae (Japanese); A.J. Beckles (English)

A shy and friendless high school boy who tries to connect with Momo over their shared interests in the supernatural. She calls him "Okarun" from "occult", since he shares a name with the actor Ken Takakura, her celebrity crush. After being possessed by the Turbo Granny, Okarun gains the ability to enter a powerful demonic state, granting him immense speed but also a suave yet lethargic alternate personality. He values and cares a lot about his friendship with Momo and throughout the course of the story, he realizes he is in love with Momo, eventually confessing to her.

Seiko Ayase (綾瀬 星子, Ayase Seiko)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)

A spirit medium and Momo's grandmother, whom she lives with, despite appearing to be in her 20s. She helps Momo and Okarun deal with dangerous spirits and yōkai. Though she has no innate powers, she has an extensive knowledge of supernatural entities and curses, and uses various artifacts and the borrowed power of the god residing in their city to seal and exorcise yōkai, though this power is only limited to the city itself. She has a brash personality, much to the chagrin of those around her, but deeply cares for her loved ones including Momo.

Turbo Granny (ターボババア, Tābo Babā)

Voiced by: Mayumi Tanaka (Japanese); Barbara Goodson (English)

A yōkai who takes the form of a cruel, foul-mouthed elderly woman, Turbo Granny used to comfort the spirits of girls who died horrible deaths, but started cursing and stealing the genitals of anyone who entered her territory. After Momo and Okarun defeat her, Seiko seals her spirit inside a maneki-neko doll, and she agrees to aid Okarun and Momo in finding Okarun's testicles, in exchange for receiving her powers back.

Aira Shiratori (白鳥 愛羅, Shiratori Aira)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Lisa Reimold (English)

The school idol of Kami High. Although she puts on the appearance of a ditzy and amiable person, she is actually incredibly vain and boasts a Messiah complex, a direct result of her inability to reconcile with the death of her mother at a young age. After obtaining one of Okarun’s kintama, Aira reawakened her suppressed ability to see the supernatural, which coupled with her egomania, led her to believe that she was divinely chosen to exorcise yōkai and thus targets Momo, delusionally believing her and Okarun to be malevolent demons. The resulting confrontation culminated in her absorbing Acrobatic Silky’s powers, giving her a similar transformation to Okarun as well as immense agility and prehensile hair. Aira subsequently allies with Momo and Okarun despite still thinking they are demons, and becomes openly affectionate towards Okarun for his selfless nature.

Jin Enjoji (円城寺 仁, Enjōji Jin) / Jiji (ジジ)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Aleks Le (English)

Momo's childhood friend and first crush, until he teased her over Seiko's rituals for her. He goes by the nickname "Jiji". After his parents were hospitalized as a result of his house being haunted, Enjoji moved in with Momo and Seiko before transferring over to Ayase's school. Okarun feels jealous over his relationship with Momo, as it is later revealed that Jiji has also developed a crush on her, but Jiji tries to become friends with him. He is possessed by the Evil Eye, who goes on a blind rampage when in control of Jiji's body.

Vamola (バモラ, Bamora)

Vamola is a Sumerian and the sole surviving child of her race. Arriving on Earth after escaping an invasion on her home planet, she honors her adoptive mother's wishes to find a worthy husband who can help her preserve the Sumerian bloodline, leading her to Momo and Okarun, the latter of whom she chooses as her husband believing that he was the one who defeated her. She tends to imitate what others say since she doesn't know any earthly language, so the group has to teach her to speak Japanese.

Kinta Sakata (坂田 金太, Sakata Kinta)

Kinta is Okarun's chubby and somewhat anti-social classmate, who is deeply into the supernatural and extraterrestrial, but tries to get Okarun to make him more popular with girls. Despite his overall social ineptitude, he has invaluable imagination skills that work well in tandem with nanoskin, an alien technology that allows anything the holder visualises to become reality.

Rin Sawaki (佐脇 凛, Sawaki Rin)

Rin, mainly referred to as Class Rep (委員長, Iinchō), is the dutiful and over-bearing class representative of Class C, which most notably includes Okarun, Kinta Sakata, and Vamola. After dealing with the lasting grudge of a deceased childhood friend, she obtains yōkai-fuelled gravity powers based upon her ability to sing.

Supporting characters

Humans

Miko (ミコ)

Voiced by: Kaori Maeda (Japanese); Sarah Anne Williams (English)

Miko is a gyaru student and one of Momo's best friends.

Muko (ムーコ)

Voiced by: Miyu Tomita (Japanese); Anairis Quiñones (English)

Muko, nicknamed Kei-san (ケイさん), is a tanned gyaru student and one of Momo's best friends.

Queen Sensei (女王, Joō)

Jou is the diligent and reliable school nurse who listens to all of the students' problems.

Manjiro (万次郎, Manjirō)

Manjiro is Seiko's pupil and a spirit medium who is asked to help out in the Evil Eye case.

Hayashi (囃子)

The Hayashi are a band of musicians who sometimes help Seiko exorcise evil spirits using Heavy Metal music.

Masamichi Bega (部賀正道, Bega Masamichi)

Also known as Bega the Demon (鬼の部賀, Oni no Bega), he is an extremely strict but kind police officer stationed at the Kamikoshi Police Box. He takes in Unji Zuma, a local delinquent boy, after discovering his background as an orphan.

Unji Zuma (頭間 雲児, Zuma Unji)

Zuma is a student at Renjaku High School, and is the leader of a gang of delinquents from other high schools. He lost his family as a child and is subsequently adopted by Bega, who too lost his family. He has supernatural, umbrella-based powers after encountering the spirit of his younger brother, now turned into a yōkai dubbed Umbrella Boy. After being led to obtain one of Okarun's testicles, Unji makes an attempt at beating a supernatural diorama board game named Danmanra.

Kouki Yukishiro (雪白 幸姬, Yukishiro Kōki)

Kouki is a student who confronted Momo in the school library while Momo was still small from the Danmanra adventure. Although she was a piano prodigy when she was younger, she has since become invisible to her family and other classmates, hiding her face behind long, disheveled hair. She is acting on directions from a shadowy figure, after they blackmailed her because of a lewd selfie.

Aliens

Mr. Mantis Shrimp (シャコさん, Shako-san)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Brent Mukai (English)

Peeny-Weeny (ぺニーチンコス, Penīchinkosu) is an alien resembling a mantis shrimp and based on the Dover Demon who attacked Momo, Okarun, and Aira but later befriends them after they helped him cure his son Chiquitita's disease. He now works at a farm and assists the gang in every way he can. He has immense endurance, can shift into a more powerful form, and like an actual mantis shrimp, attacks with bullet-speed punches.

Chiquitita (チキチータ, Chikichīta)

Chiquitita is Peeny-Weeny's cheerful son, who inherited his mother's disease.

Banga (バンガ)

Banga is an elderly Sumerian resistance fighter and Vamola's adoptive mother.

Rokuro Serpo (セルポ 6郎, Serpo 6rō)

Rokuro is the Serpo clone who helped fight the Kur invasion. Afterwards, he was branded as defective and exiled from the Serpo; he works part-time at a convenience store, always seeking out other job opportunities.

Spirits

Taro (太郎, Tarō)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

Taro is an anthropomorphized anatomical model that resides at Momo and Okarun's high school.

Hana (花)

Voiced by: Fumi Hirano

Hana is an anthropomorphized anatomical model that resides at the Ayase residence.

Evil Eye (邪視, Jashi)

A powerful and sinister yōkai born as a human sacrifice in the feudal period. He harbors a hatred for all humanity and tricks Jiji into forming a contract so he may eradicate them. The Evil Eye, in addition to its immense physical abilities, uses the grudges of the sacrificial victims to form powerful, nigh-invincible constructs which frequently manifest into something akin to a soccer ball.

Mai Kawabanga (川番河 舞, Kawabanga Mai)

Mai was the childhood friend of Rin Sawaki who had died due to a car accident. Her spirit then went on to become an Ombusman bound to Rin.

Umbrella Boy (アンブレラボーイ, Anburera Bōi)

Umbrella Boy is the now-yōkai spirit of Unji's deceased brother, who possesses Unji's body. He provides Unji with umbrella-based powers.

Antagonists

Spirits

Acrobatic Silky (アクロバティックさらさら, Akurobatikku Sarasara)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors (English)

Acrobatic Silky is a powerful yōkai who possesses immense size and enhanced strength and flexibility. In her human life, she was a single mother and an aspiring ballet dancer, but was forced into odd jobs, including as a prostitute, to make ends meet and support her daughter. Her life ended up falling apart when her pimps kidnapped her daughter and brutally assaulted her in order to collect payment, leading her to commit suicide. Shortly after becoming a yōkai, a toddler-aged Aira called her "Mommy" after briefly mistaking her for her own deceased mother, which caused Acrobatic Silky to delusionally assume that she was Aira's mother in life, and began to stalk her for over a decade until Aira could sense yōkai again. Once this happened, however, Aira did not remember her and assumed she was a familiar summoned by Momo, angering Acrobatic Silky so much that she accidentally killed her. As recompense, Acrobatic Silky sacrificed her life force to resurrect Aira by transferring her powers to Aira. In turn, Aira showed her compassion in her final moments, allowing her to move on to the afterlife without regret.

Reiko Kashima (カシマレイコ, Kashima Reiko)

Reiko, also known as the Slit-Mouthed Woman (口裂け女, Kuchisake-onna), is a yōkai that formerly resided in a ruined area in Kamikoshi City. After being bested by Momo, Reiko harbored a grudge against the girl and vowed to get revenge on her the next time they met.

Fairy-Tale Card (メルへンカルタ, Meruen Karuta)

The Fairy-Tale Card is a yōkai sealed within the Danmanra board game and the creator of the cursed trunk's inner world.

Aliens

Alien Serpo (セルポ星人, Serupo Seijin)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); Benjamin Diskin (English)

The Alien Serpo are an entirely male alien race who come from Planet Serpo. Due to their race being exclusively all male, the Serpo have no way of reproducing naturally and resort to using cloning technology, but since biological evolution cannot occur within identical beings, the Serpo seek to gain reproductive organs by abducting humans from Earth and stealing their sex organs (or "bananas").

Naki Kito (鬼頭 ナキ, Kitō Naki)

Naki Kito is a subterranean who spent over 200 years offering human sacrifices to the Tsuchinoko in order to prevent her village's destruction, until Enjoji brought Momo and Okarun to the village.

Kur (深淵ケの者, Keru)

The Kur are a militaristic alien race who originate from the farthest reaches of space. Described by Serpo as globalists, they have been actively seeking out planets within the galactic system to conquer, including Vamola's homeworld.

Count Saint-Germain (サンジェルマン伯爵, Sanjeruman Hakushaku)

Count Saint-Germain is an alien and an affiliate of the Kur, working as the deputy head teacher and advisor of the History and Culture Research Club in Momo and Okarun's high school, while under the assumed name Sanjome (三丈目).

Pygmies (小人, Kobito)

These diminutive people wear conical hats and masks and are able to stitch and weave at incredible rates. Only people sensitive to the spirit world can see them, including Momo and Queen; according to Queen, they have a strong desire to help Kouki because she can perceive them.

Production

Manga

Before the serialization of Dandadan, Yukinobu Tatsu had worked as an assistant for Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man and Yuji Kaku's Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. The serialization was confirmed during a meeting for Shōnen Jump+ in the second quarter of 2020. However, Tatsu started Dandadan after Chainsaw Man and Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku had finished because he wanted to complete his role as an assistant until the end.

When discussing Tatsu's propensity to have meal scenes after major scenes, he stated that they were inspired by multiple factors, including the belief that people who work hard deserve to eat well. He cited a quote from the manga Jarinko Chie about how the worst thing to be is hungry and alone, as well as the familial intimacy of eating scenes in Hayao Miyazaki films in My Neighbor Totoro and Porco Rosso. He also discussed his struggles as a poor manga assistant, receiving 1000 yen from his teacher to treat himself to stir-fried pork and a can of coffee after work. He added that, because it's entertainment, he wants readers to feel hopeful.

Anime

The anime was directed by Fuga Yamashiro, and it was his directorial debut. According to producer Hiroshi Kamei, he would use notes from watching other media. Kamei discussed how the anime uses "small moments" of the camera lingering on characters' faces. He called these "everyday action" or "everyday direction," expressing that the staff wanted to put heightened attention on these compared to other anime and that they wanted to use these instead of words to depict these "small interactions." He also discussed the use of "lead scenes," scenes that lead into other scenes down the line; he cited an example of Momo handing Okarun's magazine to him, and Okarun later handing his clothes to Momo, intended to demonstrate how their relationship changes by how similar they are.

Media

Manga

Dandadan is written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu. It began serialization in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website on April 6, 2021. Shueisha has compiled its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on August 4, 2021. As of November 1, 2024, 17 volumes have been released.

The series is simultaneously published in English and Spanish on Shueisha's Manga Plus platform and in English on Viz Media's Shonen Jump website. In February 2022, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series in print format; the first volume was released on October 11 of the same year.

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	August 4, 2021	978-4-08-882599-1	October 11, 2022	978-1-9747-3463-4
"That's How Love Starts, Ya Know!" (それって恋のはじまりじゃんよ, Sorette Koi no Hajimari jan yo) "That's a Space Alien, Ain't It?!" (それって宇宙人じゃね, Sorette Uchūbito ja ne) "It's a Granny Vs. Granny Clash!" (ババアとババアが激突じゃんか, Babā to Babā ga Gekitotsu jan ka) "Let's Go to the John" (トイレにいこう, Toire ni Ikō) "Kicking Turbo Granny's Ass" (ターボババアをぶっ飛ばそう, Tābo Babā o Buttobasō)
Momo Ayase, a high school student obsessed with actor Ken Takakura, befriends a nerdy boy she nicknames Okarun (instead of his actual name, Ken Takakura) who mistakes her kindness for a shared obsession with paranormal phenomena; while she believes in spirits, he believes in aliens, and they send each other to notorious places to prove their respective interests. At abandoned Negi Hospital, Momo is abducted by the extraterrestrial Serpoians; meanwhile, Okarun is cursed by Turbo Granny, a yōkai who has joined with a bound spirit and takes his penis. After rescuing each other, Momo uses her newly-awakened psychokinetic power to suppress Okarun's curse, which gives him a depressed demon form with Turbo Granny's powers. Returning to the shrine she shares with her granny, Momo and Okarun battle the Flatwoods monster. When Momo's grandmother Seiko, aka disreputable spirit medium Santa Dodoria, returns and saves Momo from Okarun, she coaches the teens how to defeat Turbo Granny. Momo challenges Turbo Granny to a race and tricks her into sending her full spirit into Okarun; the bound spirit awakens and begins to pursue them as an immense freshwater crab.
2	October 4, 2021	978-4-08-882804-6	January 10, 2023	978-1-9747-3530-3
"A Craving for Crab" (カニ食べたくね, Kani Tabetaku ne) "Hundred-KMPH Granny" (100キロババアだろ, Hyaku Kiro Babā Daro) "Let's Eat Crab" (カニ食べよう, Kani Tabeyō) "Missing Each Other" (会えないじゃん, Aenai jan) "Like, Where Are Your Balls?" (タマはどこじゃんよ, Tama wa Doko jan yo) "You're a Rotten Tangerine, Ain't Ya?" (腐ったみかんじゃね, Kusatta Mikan ja ne) "Seems He Finally Realized She's Cute" (かわいいって気付いたっぽい, Kawaii tte Kidzuita ppoi) "A Dangerous Woman Arrives" (ヤベー女がきた, Yabē Onna ga Kita) "'Acrobatic Silky' Is Kinda Long" (アクロバティックサラサラって長くね, Akurobatikku Sarasara tte Nagaku ne)
Momo loses her grasp on Turbo Granny during the pursuit, but manages to grab the recombined spirit crab-human, electrocuting it on an overhead line. The next day, after a series of misunderstandings, Okarun and Momo accidentally kiss. After Okarun learns that his penis was returned but his testicles are now missing, Seiko forces Turbo Granny's consciousness out of him into a maneki-neko doll; he retained her spiritual powers, and they strike a deal to return those powers in exchange for his restoration. However, Turbo Granny lost them after changing them to golden balls (kintama); fellow student Aira Shiratori picked up a kintama by accident, awakening her spiritual power, and Aira mistakes Momo as a devil. However, Aira's awakening also makes her visible to the Acrobatic Silky yōkai, who proceeds to swallow Okarun, Aira, and Momo; Momo burns her from inside, setting the trio free.
3	December 3, 2021	978-4-08-882854-1	April 11, 2023	978-1-9747-3531-0
"Let's Just Call Her 'Acro-Silky'" (アクサラって呼ぼう, Akusara tte Yobō) "Acro-Silky" (アクさら, Akusara) "To a Kinder World" (優しい世界へ, Yasashii Sekai e) "Eat Some Somen Noodles or Something" (そうめんでも食べよ, Sōmen demo Tabeyo) "I've Got This Funny Feeling" (なんかモヤモヤするじゃんよ, Nanka Moyamoya Suru jan yo) "They're, Like, Back Again" (また来たじゃんよ, Mata Kita jan yo) "Gotta Put On Some Clothes!" (服が着たい, Fuku ga Kitai) "Momo Still Has Some Pent-Up Feelings" (モモちゃんまだモヤモヤしてます, Momo-chan Mada Moyamoya Shitemasu) "You're Bothered, Aren't You?" (気にしてるじゃんか, Ki ni Shiteru jan ka)
Momo and Okarun defeat Silky, but Aira dies; to revive her, Momo transfers Silky's aura to Aira, and Momo empathizes with both after learning their similarly tragic family histories. After sharing a meal together, Aira insists Momo is a demon and vows to break Momo's hold on Okarun. At school, Momo catches Okarun and Aira in a compromising posture, which occurred after Aira confessed her feelings to him because of her romantically awkward notions. The Serpoians return, flooding the school to aid their mercenaries: two aliens similar to a plesiosaur and a mantis shrimp. All three humans fight ineffectively on their own, even after Aira and Okarun draw on their yōkai powers as the Silky and Turbo Granny, respectively. Okarun is stripped naked and the Serpoians attempt to harvest his sex organs. Momo finds an effective teamwork strategy, but the Serpoians, having tired of their gig workers' incompetence, have merged into a single aquatic monster.
4	March 4, 2022	978-4-08-883046-9	July 11, 2023	978-1-9747-3744-4
"Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie!" (合体！セルポドーバーデーモンネッシー！, Gattai! Serupo Dōbā Dēmon Nesshī!) "It Makes Your Heart Race, Don't It?" (ドキドキじゃんよ, Dokidoki jan yo) "We Picked Up a Kappa Monster" (河童を拾いました, Kappa o Hiroimashita) "Have You Ever Seen a Cattle Mutilation?" (キャトルミューティレーションを君は見たか, Kyatoru Myūtirēshon o Kimi wa Mita ka) "That's a Premonition About the Turmoils of Love" (ラヴ波乱の予感じゃんよ, Ravu Haran no Yokan jan yo) "First Love" (初恋の人, Hatsukoi no Hito) "Don't Give Up!" (あきらめるなよ！, Akirameru na yo!) "The Life of an Anatomical Model" (人体模型の生活, Jintai Mokei no Seikatsu) "Let's Go to the Cursed House" (呪いの家へレッツゴー, Noroi no Ie e Rettsu Gō)
After the trio defeat the merged Serpoian-Nessie-mantis creature, they wake up in school, naked, damaging their social reputations. Aira and Momo find a grudging respect, and bring the wounded mantis shrimp to Granny Seiko, who denies his alien nature and calls him a kappa, but treats him and finds that cow milk will heal him and his son, Chiquitita. That night, Momo answers the door to find her childhood friend and first love, Jin Enjoji (Jiji), who has come to live with them while his parents are hospitalized. Once Jiji began to see spirits, his parents became sick; after multiple failed exorcisms, he was directed to contact Seiko, which she delegates to Momo. At school, Jiji is popular and Momo banters with him, making Okarun feel lonely. When an anatomical model runs by and Momo spots what they think is a kintama, they catch the model, named Taro, and reunite him with his love, a female anatomical torso named Hana. Taro's declaration of love gives Okarun the courage to fight for Momo. Okarun, Jiji, and Momo travel to Jiji's cursed house.
5	May 2, 2022	978-4-08-883103-9	October 10, 2023	978-1-9747-4059-8
"Better Decide Which One's Into Her" (どっちが好きか決めようや, Dotchi ga Suki ka Kimeyō ya) "The Kito Family Is Coming" (鬼頭家が来る, Kitō-ka ga Kuru) "Where's the Tsuchinoko Monster?" (ツチノコはどこ, Tsuchinoko wa Doko) "The Kito Family's Old Lady" (鬼頭家のババア, Kitō-ka no Babā) "Like, This Is the Legend of the Giant Snake" (大蛇伝説ってこれじゃんよ, Orochi Densetsu tte Kore jan yo) "Mongolian Death Worms Are Deadly" (モンゴリアンデスワームはやばい, Mongorian Desu Wāmu wa Yabai) "The Evil Eye" (邪視, Jashi) "Contract" (契約, Keiyaku)
Momo goes to the hot springs, leaving the boys alone at the house, where they bicker and bond over her. After finding a secret room, a group of middle-aged women arrive; they are the landlords from the Kito family. Momo is similarly beset by middle-aged Kito men, but she is rescued by Turbo Granny. On the way back to the house, Momo visits the Tsuchinoko shrine and meets the priest, who relates a local legend: historically, villagers sacrificed children to pacify a giant snake, which kept a volcano quiescent; the Kito family attempt to sacrifice the trio at the house, which was built on the site of the ancient altar. Falling into a pit below the house, they spot the creature, which Turbo Granny realizes is a Mongolian death worm. Driven by its psychic energy, Okarun and Momo keep trying to hurt themselves; they resume normal thoughts in the presence of Jiji's spirit, which he learns was one of the sacrificed children. The spirit hates the Kito family; sympathizing with its loneliness, Jiji welcomes it inside himself, but it is an Evil Eye yōkai, untrustworthy and violent to humans.
6	August 4, 2022	978-4-08-883208-1	January 9, 2024	978-1-9747-4283-7
"Jiji the Prodigy" (天才ジジ, Tensai Jiji) "Escape! Multistage!" (脱出！多段式！, Dasshutsu! Tadanshiki!) "You Won't Get Away with This!" (ゆるさねえぜ, Yurusa nē ze) "This House Is a Damn Eyesore" (目障りな家じゃんよ, Mezawari na Ie jan yo) "It's a Pump" (ポンプです, Ponpu Desu) "Put That Fire Out" (消火しよう, Shōka Shiyō) "That's, Like, Way Deadly" (やば過ぎじゃんよ, Yabasugi jan yo) "That UFO Is Awesome" (UFOすげえ, Yūfō Sugē) "He's, Like, Sealed" (封印じゃんよ, Fūin jan yo)
The athletic Evil Eye/Jiji targets Momo and Turbo Granny, but Okarun protects them and throws Momo to the surface, where she sets the house aflame. Okarun and Evil Eye fight as the wounded worm spews venom; as the fire department pours water on the house, the worm surfaces and is consumed in sunlight, then regurgitates the Kito family. As the volcano erupts, Momo uses the worm's body as a hose to divert water onto the lava. The Tsuchinoko shrine priest defends her from the Kito matriarch. All three unite to face the Evil Eye; he is delayed by the mantis shrimp and then defeated by Seiko and Taro. Taro seals the Evil Eye inside his shell, which is lined with ofuda amulets. Chiqutita continues fighting the lava from aboard their flying saucer and lifts a ball of worm phlegm from underground, which protected Okarun and Turbo Granny. Sharing a meal of oden together, Seiko discovers that hot water will turn the Evil Eye back to Jiji, and cold water reverts to Evil Eye.
7	October 4, 2022	978-4-08-883270-8	April 9, 2024	978-1-9747-4339-1
"Let's All Carry Around Hot Water" (みんなでお湯を持とう, Minna de Oyu o Motō) "We Can All Stay There Together!" (みんなでお泊まりじゃんよ, Minna de Otomari jan yo) "The Hayashi Performers Are Here" (囃子が来ました, Hayashi ga Kimashita) "We Became a Family" (家族になりました, Kazoku ni Narimashita) "Get a Part-Time Job" (バイトをしよう, Baito o Shiyō) "Moe! Moe! Tri-beam!" (モエモエ気功砲, Moe Moe Kikōhō) "Feeling Kinda Gloomy" (なんかモヤモヤするじゃんよ, Nanka Moyamoya Suru jan yo) "Scary Dudes at School" (学校の怖いやつ, Gakkō no Kowai Yatsu) "Symphony No. 6" (交響曲第6番, Kōkyō Kyoku Dai Roku-ban)
The crew go to visit Jiji's parents in the hospital; the names of the shrimp alien (Peeny-Weeny) and the Kito matriarch (Naki) are revealed and she declares that Momo is her enemy while unveiling herself as a Subterranean alien. As Okarun and Momo grow closer, she asks him and Aira to stay at the house and help control Jiji with hot water. Seiko starts an exorcism to separate the Evil Eye with the help of the heavy metal Hayashi band, but Jiji begs to let him stay, promising to play with the lonely spirit. After inadvertently wrecking the house as Evil Eye, Jiji begins training to control his chi. Momo starts a part-time job at a maid café; Okarun is denied fight training by Peeny-Weeny, who uses the name Mr. Penny while working at a local dairy farm. Turbo Granny volunteers to help Okarun become strong; accompanied by Aira, the three sneak into school at night, where Turbo Granny summons musical spirits to train their sense of rhythm.
8	January 4, 2023	978-4-08-883370-5	July 16, 2024	978-1-9747-4601-9
"Symphony No. 9" (交響曲第9番, Kōkyō Kyoku Dai Kyū-ban) "You Can Do It, Okarun!" (がんばれオカルン, Ganbare Okarun) "The Evil Eye's Briefs" (邪視のブリーフ, Jashi no Burīfu) "I Want to Rebuild the House" (家を建て直したい, Ie o Tatenaoshitai) "School Life" (学生生活, Gakusei Seikatsu) "The Secret Art of Being Attractive" (モテる秘訣はなんだ, Moteru Hiketsu wa Nan da) "I Can't See Them!" (見えないじゃんよ, Mienai jan yo) "Hey, It's a Kaiju" (怪獣じゃんよ, Kaijū jan yo) "The Kaiju's Wicked Strong" (怪獣はめちゃ強い, Kaijū wa Mecha Tsuyoi)
Okarun and Aira defeat the musician tulpas and return to the house, where Okarun challenges the Evil Eye and enters a contract to fight him exclusively; this eliminates the threat to all humans but the house was completely demolished. Peeny-Weeny and Chiquitita help rebuild it using alien nanotechnology. Jiji slips into the Evil Eye, but his muttered threats are treated as a joke. An awkward male classmate seeks romantic advice from Okarun, who is defended by the class rep from Momo over what she sees as Momo's bullying. Okarun, Momo, and the awkward student investigate the apartment block ghost, which they learn is a kaiju wearing a retroreflector suit to appear invisible. As it rampages through the city, they escape back to the shrine, where Okarun devises a plan to defeat it using the alien nanotechnology.
9	March 3, 2023	978-4-08-883414-6	October 15, 2024	978-1-9747-4897-6
"Kinta's Imagination" (金太のイメージ, Kinta no Imēji) "Clash! Space Kaiju vs. Giant Robot!" (激突！宇宙怪獣対巨大ロボ！, Gekitotsu! Uchū Kaijū Tai Kyodai Robo!) "This Is How You Beat a Kaiju, Okay?" (怪獣の倒し方はこれじゃんよ, Kaijū no Taoshikata wa Kore jan yo) "I'm Sick of Robots and Kaiju!" (ロボットも怪獣もこりごりだ, Robotto mo Kaijū mo Korigori da) "Somebody, Please Translate" (だれか翻訳してくれ, Dareka Honyaku Shitekure) "Let's Eat Some Takoyaki" (タコヤキを食べよう, Takoyaki o Tabeyō) "Let's Go to School" (学校へ行こう, Gakkō e Ikō) "Ran Into Someone Deadly" (やべえ奴に遭遇しました, Yabē Yatsu ni Sōgū Shimashita) "What Do We Do With Her?" (どーするこいつ, Dō Suru Koitsu)
Okarun's plan calls for transforming the house through visualization; the awkward classmate, Kinta Sakata, succeeds with a daibutsu mecha he pilots. Working together, Kinta, Momo, and Aira defeat the kaiju with a powerbomb, causing it to shrink and reveal it is a suit piloted by a female alien, who then kisses Okarun. They take her to Peeny-Weeny, who uses a glitchy translator mask to learn her name is Vamola; she is seeking someone powerful enough to defeat her, who she will then marry. At Negi Hospital, the Serpoians meet an invading, lizard-like alien, which overwhelms them. Vamola learns to talk while walking to school with Momo and demonstrates the kintama is not Okarun's; detouring through ruins, they encounter a kuchisake-onna (slit-mouthed woman) yōkai, who Momo dispels. At school, Vamola is assigned to Class C with Okarun, and the class rep bars Momo and Aira from visiting, to their frustration.
10	May 2, 2023	978-4-08-883503-7	December 17, 2024	978-1-9747-4984-3
"This Person Is a Pain in the Butt" (めんどくせえ奴, Mendokusē Yatsu) "A Pulse-Pounding Night" (ときめきナイトじゃんよ, Tokimeki Naito jan yo) "Just Who the Heck Is This Person?" (こいつは一体何者なんだよ, Koitsu wa Ittai Nanimono Nanda yo) "Ran Into Some Deadly Dudes 2" (やべえやつらに遭遇しました2, Yabē Yatsura ni Sōgū Shimashita 2) "What Do We Do About These Deadly Dudes?" (どうしようやべえやつら, Dō Shiyō Yabē Yatsura) "Number One Deadliest Dude" (一番やべえやつ, Ichiban Yabē Yatsu) "At Work" (バイト中, Baito-chū) "Annoying Dudes" (ムカツクやつら, Mukatsuku Yatsura) "The Power of Nessie" (ネッシーの力, Nesshī no Chikara)
Seiko explains Momo's "pomade" spell only temporarily sent away the invincible yōkai, named Reiko Kashima, and to keep Momo safe, she is barred from being outside or near an uncovered mirror for a week between 10 PM and 5 AM. That night, Kashima attempts to lure Momo outside by pretending to confess Okarun's love, and keeps her awake by pounding the windows. The invading aliens are physically similar to octopus, piloting mecha suits, including the lizard-like leader and others. Silky and Evil Eye are knocked out quickly but manage to escape through the sewers; after dropping Vamola off at the shrine, Turbo Okarun is also defeated and his remaining testicle is extracted. At the maid café, Momo is pinned down by a horde of clones, who call Vamola a scout; a Serpoian teams up with Momo to repossess the clones, and she learns to use the moe-moe tri-beam to defeat an extradimensional alien.
11	August 4, 2023	978-4-08-883599-0	February 4, 2025	978-1-9747-5180-8
"I Just Wanna Leave Already" (早く帰りたいじゃんよ, Hayaku Kaeritai jan yo) "Can Never Sleep at a Manga Cafe" (マンガ喫茶は眠れない, Manga Kissa wa Nemurenai) "Spy" (スパイ, Supai) "Argument" (ケンカ, Kenka) "What're We Gonna Do?" (どーするかねえ, Dō Suru ka nē) "Initiate! The Road to Counterattack!" (始動！逆襲への道！, Shidō! Gyakushū e no Michi!) "Just Can't Sleep" (寝てられないじゃんよ, Neterarenai jan yo) "Astral Body Adventure" (幽体離脱（アストラルボディ）の冒険, Asutoraru Bodi no Bōken)
The surviving Serpoian, named Rokuro, tells Momo the mysterious invading aliens must have warped to Earth via transmission systems housed in pyramids and kofun mounds. They rent a space at a manga café overnight, narrowly avoiding an attack from Kashima; returning to the shrine, Peeny-Weeny tells Momo all her friends are wounded after fighting aliens; she finds a ball similar to Vamola's in the mecha suit of one of the dead octopus-like aliens, and kicks her out, infuriated. When Rokuro learns Okarun's nut was taken, he realizes the 'globalist' alien invaders are an advance party which intend to use its power to bring their main force to Earth in five days. They morph the house into a car that Peeny-Weeny drives to the Negi Hospital site to train in secret, which goes poorly. Jiji uses his chi to silence Kashima overnight, allowing Momo to rest. Okarun awakens from his coma and, using astral projection, visits his friends and seeks out Seiko for help.
12	December 4, 2023	978-4-08-883726-0	—	—
"Please Tell Me How to Get Back Into My Body" (体の戻り方教えてください, Karada no Modorikata Oshiete Kudasai) "Day of the Decisive Battle" (決戦の日, Kessen no Hi) "Motivation" (やる気, Yaruki) "What to Do About the Name?" (どーする名前, Dō Suru Namae) "What to Do About My Beauty Treatment" (どーする美容, Dō Suru Biyō) "My Turn" (おれのターン, Ore no Tān) "Close That Gate" (ゲートを閉じろ, Gēto o Tojiro) "Vamola" (バモラ, Bamora) "Vamola 2" (バモラ2, Bamora 2)
Seiko and Turbo Granny cannot help, but coach Okarun how to return to his body. During the desperate fight with the globalist aliens, Jiji names his chi blast as the Evil Gun, multiplying its power and turning the tide. Kinta finds a note at the shrine asking for help and builds an Akira-esque motorcycle. Momo is sent ahead to close the Tokyo Tower warp gate; Vamola returns to help her, but the lizard-like mecha extracts Vamola from the kaiju suit and impales her. Momo grabs Vamola back and begins treating her. Connected by telepathic chips, the friends learn Vamola's background during a flashback: as the sole surviving Sumerian child, she was saved and raised by Banga after a battle with the globalist aliens which killed all Sumerian men. Banga's small squad tries to rejoin another surviving group, but it is a trap. During the fight they encounter a Big Mama, which is a globalist mecha factory that uses people as raw materials, and they watch it create the kaiju suit, a symbol of the Sumerian religion.
13	January 4, 2024	978-4-08-883841-0	—	—
"Vamola 3" (バモラ3, Bamora 3) "Vamola 4" (バモラ4, Bamora 4) "Banga" (バンガ) "Vamola's Reasons" (バモラの理由, Bamora no Riyū) "I've Decided on Takoyaki" (タコ焼き決定じゃんよ, Takoyaki Kettei jan yo) "I'm Gonna Kick Ya Into Tomorrow" (蹴っ飛ばしてやるわい, Kettobashite Yaruwai) "Mantis Shrimp's Calculation" (シャコの計算, Shako no Keisan) "Wicked Power" (やばい力, Yabai Chikara) "Everyone's Reconvened" (集まってきちゃった, Atsumattekichatta)
Banga, who was a royal cook before the war, attempts to enter the palace and activate the warp gate to escape; she liberates the imprisoned men and saves Vamola by donning the kaiju suit, using the last of the gate's energy to send her to Earth with the advice to find a kind, strong man to marry. Vamola succeeds by identifying Okarun, but guiltily realizes she also drew the globalists to attack the friends; Rokuro heals her and she carries on fighting the globalists with Momo. The other students and Peeny-Weeny defeat the advance squad, but Momo has a tough fight with the lizard-like mecha before Okarun returns; buoyed by reuniting with the rest of the students, they face off against the globalists, who have brought reinforcements.
14	April 4, 2024	978-4-08-883897-7	—	—
"Today Is a Tuesday" (今日は火曜日, Kyō wa Kayōbi) "Wreck 'Em" (ブチ壊せ, Buchikowase) "A Persistent Bastard" (しぶとい野郎, Shibutoi Yarō) "It's Kinta's Turn Onstage" (金太の出番じゃんよ, Kinta no Deban jan yo) "Howl, Great Kinta!" (唸れグレートキンタ, Unare Gurēto Kinta) "Out of the Frying Pan" (一難去ってまた一難, Ichinan Satte Mata Ichinan) "The Power of Reiko Kashima" (カシマレイコの力, Kashima Reiko no Chikara) "That Note" (あの手紙, Ano Tegami) "Reiko Kashima's Maiden Heart" (カシマレイコの乙女心, Kashima Reiko no Otomegokoro)
Although the reunited students quickly defeat most of the alien mecha, the lizard-like leader stands strong until Momo figures out its weakness, releasing a jellyfish-like alien which infiltrates Vamola's kaiju suit. Kinta arrives, reviving his Great Kinta battlemech to fight the hijacked Tokyo Skytree-wielding kaiju with a Tokyo Tower 'sacred sword' before defeating it with a spiraling powerbomb. Before the gate closes, a globalist fleet slips through. Kashima, appearing at 10 PM for Momo, experiences a flashback to the bombing of Tokyo and traps the fleet in her mirror before destroying it; after seeing Okarun and Momo's mutual love, she walks away. At the celebratory yakiniku barbecue, Rokuro shows up to thank Momo. A transformed Kashima vows to steal Okarun if Momo is not more honest and forthright with her love. Far away, Banga leads a squad of Sumerians towards Earth; eavesdropping on the Serpoians, Turbo Granny learns they have named the globalist aliens the Kur, who are hosting the mysterious Count Saint-Germain.
15	July 4, 2024	978-4-08-884054-3	—	—
"Who's This Person?" (こいつは誰だ, Koitsu wa Dare da) "Let's Form a Club" (部活を作ろう, Bukatsu o Tsukurō) "The Class Rep's Secret" (委員長の秘密, Iinchō no Himitsu) "Ombusman" (オンブスマン, Onbusuman) "Let's Do an Exorcism" (おはらいしようぜ, Oharai Shiyō ze) "It's a Parade Float. It's a Festival. It's Ninomiya" (山車だ祭りだ二宮だ, Dashi da Matsuri da Ninomiya da) "Float Performance Face-Off" (ひっかわせ, Hikkawase) "Let's Be Idols" (アイドルやろうぜ, Aidoru Yarō ze) "Kawabanga" (カワバンガ)
After Okarun's retrieved gonad is restored, Mr. Sanjome emerges from The Gates of Hell at the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno Park and becomes the faculty supervisor for the students' occult club; despite not having prior memories of him, everyone agrees he seems familiar. Class rep Rin Sawaki approaches Okarun and collapses under the weight of an ombusman yōkai; after she picked up the other missing kintama and turned it in to a kōban (police box), she began seeing spirits. The ombusman is Mai Kawabanga, Rin's childhood friend who shared a dream to become a junior idol before dying in a car crash. Seiko's remedy involves the Hayashi band and a dansha; they fight through waves of kinjiro ninomiya statues and Rin takes over for the lead singer after he is incapacitated, belting out an emotional song. Mai returns and they tearfully forgive each other; although not dispelled completely, Mai becomes a guardian spirit. Momo and Okarun convince Turbo Granny to help infiltrate the kōban, operated by humorless Officer Bega "the Demon", so they can learn who picked up the missing kintama.
16	October 4, 2024	978-4-08-884227-1	—	—
"Mission Impossible" (スパイ大作戦, Supai Daisakusen) "It's, Like, Pride" (プライドじゃんよ, Puraido jan yo) "Delinquents' Track Meet" (ヤンキー運動会, Yankī Undōkai) "Where's Zuma?" (ズマはどこだ？, Zuma wa Doko da?) "Deadly Magic Object" (やべえ呪物, Yabē Jubutsu) "She Went and Entered It" (入っちゃったじゃんよ, Haitchatta jan yo) "It's, Like, a Board Game" (これボードゲームじゃんよ, Kore Bōdo Gēmu jan yo) "That Zuma Dude" (ズマってやつ, Zuma tte Yatsu) "Start Game" (ゲームスタート, Gēmu Sutāto)
Turbo Granny fails to obtain any information, but they run into Rokuro, exiled as a defective clone; after a brief fight with Bega, he learns the missing kintama was picked up by Unji Zuma, a student at Renjaku, a local high school infamously full of delinquents. While searching for Zuma, Momo and Okarun encounter a street gang, who say Zuma entered a detailed diorama filled with monsters a week ago; Zuma vowed to defeat the diorama-world using the power of the kintama. Momo inadvertently falls into the diorama-world, and she and Okarun independently realize it is a board game named Danmanra. Although she is unable to use her telekinesis, she meets Zuma, who uses umbrella-based yōkai powers enabled when he has the kintama to defeat a powerful knight boss. However, Zuma subsequently loses it and begins working with Momo through an obstacle course guarded by frog shikigami; a massive chef boss begins playing the color demon variant of tag, which requires them to touch the food he announces.
17	November 1, 2024	978-4-08-884259-2	—	—
"Let 'Em Eat Cake" (ケーキ食わせろや, Kēki Kuwasero ya) "How to Use Powers" (能力の使い方, Nōryoku no Tsukaikata) "Eatin' Too Many Treats" (お菓子食い過ぎじゃんよ, Okashi Kuisugi jan yo) "That's Enough of Sweets!" (甘いものはもういいぜ, Amai Mono wa Mō Ii ze) "Let's Take a Break!" (休憩しようぜ, Kyūkei Shiyō ze) "Let's Go on an Adventure!" (冒険しようぜ, Bōken Shiyō ze) "Commence Castle Siege" (攻城戦開幕, Kōjō-sen Kaimaku) "Castle Sieges Are Hard" (攻城戦は難しい, Kōjō-sen wa Muzukashii) "It's a Megabrawl" (大乱闘じゃんよ, Dai Rantō jan yo)
Since Zuma exhausted his powers while fighting the knight boss, after retrieving the kintama, he passes it to Momo, who takes down the chef; they are awarded the Nom Nom Bongo (Death Pâtissier) game card, similar to a Pokémon card, which grants them powers from eating treats. Checking their pockets, they also have a Carmine (Dark Knight) card from the earlier fight, and realize they must defeat four bosses in total. After beating the next, Rock-hard Costinus (Medusa), they rest at an inn to prepare for their final challenge, which is to defeat an army guarding a castle and destroy the crystal within; the game uses a rock paper scissors scheme to determine weaknesses between four types of soldiers in the army. Okarun returns to the diorama with Rin and Turbo Granny while being pursued by Officer Bega. The street gang bursts into the diorama world, saving Momo and Zuma from defeat, and when that pair enter the castle, Okarun arrives, yelling not to break the crystal, but too late, as Zuma slices it in half.
18	January 4, 2025	978-4-08-884340-7	—	—

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.

148. "Game Cleared" (ゲームクリア, Gēmu Kuria)
149. "That Devil, the Fairy-Tale Card" (悪魔のメルヘンカルタ, Akuma no Meruhen Karuta)
150. "This Guy's a Pain" (厄介なやつ, Yakkai na Yatsu)
151. "Get That Family Jewel Back" (金玉を取り戻せ, Kintama o Torimodose)
152. "Turbo Granny vs. 'Brella Boy" (ターボババアVSアンブレボーイ, Tābo Babā VS Anbure Bōi)
153. "Unji Zuma" (頭間雲児, Zuma Unji)
154. "Unji Zuma 2" (頭間雲児2, Zuma Unji 2)
155. "Unji Zuma 3" (頭間雲児3, Zuma Unji 3)
156. "'Brella Boy" (アンブレボーイ, Anbure Bōi)
157. "Masamichi Bega" (部賀正道, Bega Masamichi)
158. "That Kawabanga Girl" (カワバンガというやつは, Kawabanga to Iu Yatsu wa)
159. "Escape from the Cursed Trunk!" (脱出！！呪行李！！, Dasshutsu!! Noroi Kōri!!)
160. "The Power of the Demonic Fairy-Tale Card" (悪魔のメルヘンカルタの力, Akuma no Meruhen Karuta no Chikara)
161. "Saint-Germain, the Mysterious Man" (謎の男サンジェルマン, Nazo no Otoko Sanjeruman)
162. "Let's Blow the Demonic Fairy-Tale Card Away!" (悪魔のメルヘンカルタをぶっ飛ばせ！！, Akuma no Meruhen Karuta o Buttobase!!)
163. "Saviors, Don't Be Late!" (間に合え救出！！, Maniae Kyūshutsu!!)
164. "She's Gone All Little!" (小っちゃくなったじゃんよ, Chitchaku Natta jan yo)
165. "Family Jewels—Intact" (金玉コンプリート, Kintama Konpurīto)
166. "Is This a Little Fairy?" (これは小人妖精か, Kore wa Kobito Yōsei ka)
167. "Hey, There's Something There" (なんかいるじゃんよ, Nanka Iru jan yo)
168. "There's Someone Here" (なんか来たじゃんよ, Nanka Kita jan yo)
169. "Find the Culprit!" (犯人をさがせ！, Hannin o Sagase!)
170. "A Suspicious Woman" (怪しい女, Ayashii Onna)
171. "Corner the Perp!" (追い詰めろ犯人！, Oitsumero Hannin!)
172. "Those Pygmies Are Scary" (小人は怖い, Kobito wa Kowai)
173. "Corner the Criminal!" (犯人を追い詰めろ！, Hannin o Oitsumero!)
174. "Queen Sensei's Infirmary" (女王先生の保健室, Joō Sensei no Hokenshitsu)
175. "So Who's the True Perp?" (真犯人は誰じゃんよ, Shinhannin wa Dare jan yo)

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 28, 2023. It is produced by Science Saru and directed by Fūga Yamashiro, with scripts written by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Naoyuki Onda, alien and supernatural entity designs by Yoshimichi Kameda, and music composed by Kensuke Ushio. The series premiered on October 4, 2024, on the Super Animeism Turbo programming block on all JNN affiliates, including MBS and TBS. The opening theme is "Otonoke" (オトノケ) performed by Creepy Nuts, while the ending theme is "Taidada" performed by Zutomayo. Prior to the television airing, the English dub of the series premiered at Anime NYC on August 24, 2024. The first three episodes also were collected and released theatrically as Dan Da Dan: First Encounter, with screenings starting in Asia on August 31.

Crunchyroll is streaming the series outside of Asia, including the Middle East and CIS, while Netflix is streaming the series globally. Hulu is streaming the series in the United States. Muse Communication licensed the series in Asia-Pacific. In June 2024, GKIDS announced that it had acquired the theatrical, videogram, and digital transactional rights to the series.

In August 2024, prior to the premiere of the English dub, the first two episodes of the anime were leaked alongside many other anime productions that were localized by Iyuno.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Storyboarded by	Original air date
1	"That's How Love Starts, Ya Know!" Transliteration: "Sorette Koi no Hajimari jan yo" (Japanese: それって恋のはじまりじゃんよ)	Fūga Yamashiro	Fūga Yamashiro	October 4, 2024 (2024-10-04)
After a bad breakup with her boyfriend, Momo Ayase briefly defends a loner student from some bullies. Shortly after the period ends, the two get into an argument over an occult magazine, as the student believes in the existence of extraterrestrial aliens while Momo believes in the existence of supernatural entities. Momo and the student then challenge each other to prove their respective beliefs are real, with Momo going to an abandoned hospital to contact a UFO and the student going to an isolated tunnel to find a spirit. Suddenly, both are validated when the student gets possessed by a spirit named Turbo Granny, who demands to take his "banana," while Momo is abducted by aliens called the Serpo, who claim they want to mate with her as an experiment. The student and Turbo Granny are able to enter the UFO through Momo's discarded cell phone, while Momo remembers the words of her grandmother and gains psychokinetic powers, as the two join forces to beat up the Serpoians and crash the UFO back down to Earth. The student then reveals his real name is Ken Takakura, the same name as the actor Momo idolizes.
2	"That's a Space Alien, Ain't It?!" Transliteration: "Sorette Uchūbito ja ne" (Japanese: それって宇宙人じゃね)	Rushio Moriyama	Fūga Yamashiro	October 11, 2024 (2024-10-11)
Momo and Ken, who is then nicknamed "Okarun" by Momo, go to Momo's grandmother's house to recuperate as Momo holds Okarun's curse at bay. There, they are attacked by a monster that resembles a sumo wrestler who traps them within the property’s realm. Initially believing the monster is a evil spirit, they soon realize it is actually the Flatwoods monster. Okarun forces Momo to release her powers holding off the curse to fight off the alien, which transforms him into a yōkai form that balances him and Turbo Granny. Despite this, they do not deal enough damage to the alien, who wounds Okarun. Momo lures the alien to the property's gate, allowing herself to be punched by the alien to be pushed out the gate's boundaries. She grabs Okarun and places a talisman that wards off spirits at the gate, burning the alien as they are freed from the trap. Relieved they won, Momo passes out from exhaustion. Without her powers keeping the curse in check, Turbo Granny fully possesses Okarun.
3	"It's a Granny vs. Granny Clash!" Transliteration: "Babā to Babā ga Gekitotsu jan ka" (Japanese: ババアとババアが激突じゃんか)	Daiki Yonemori	Daiki Yonemori	October 18, 2024 (2024-10-18)
Momo's grandmother Seiko arrives home and incapacitates the possessed Okarun. After regaining consciousness, a worried Momo asks Seiko what happened to Okarun. Seiko points to the property's shrine, where Okarun is being kept safe. Momo explains to her grandmother of Okarun's situation while also revealing her newfound ability to use psychokinetic powers. Seiko expounds on the circumstances of Turbo Granny, adding she had fused with a stronger location-bound crab spirit found in the tunnel. Despite Seiko's warning to not fight the spirit, Momo is determined to help Okarun, prompting Seiko to tell Momo and Okarun that Turbo Granny's power is weaker in the city outskirts and have them train the next day. Turbo Granny later appears and tells Momo they must fight her in the tunnel, threatening to use Okarun's curse to kill more people if they do not comply. Left with no other options, Seiko blesses Momo and Okarun with protective clothing and the two head for the tunnel to fight Turbo Granny.
4	"Kicking Turbo Granny's Ass" Transliteration: "Tābo Babā o Buttobasō" (Japanese: ターボババアをぶっ飛ばそう)	Moko-chan	Moko-chan	October 25, 2024 (2024-10-25)
After arriving at the tunnel, Momo and Okarun plan to lure Turbo Granny to the city outskirts to defeat her, but they are immediately cornered by Turbo Granny, who takes away Okarun's curse. Remembering Seiko's advice that Turbo Granny does not back down from a challenge, Momo goads her to a game of tag, distracting her long enough for Momo and Okarun to capture her and regain Okarun's curse. They attempt to run for the outskirts and escape the crab spirit and corpses possessed by Turbo Granny to no avail, despite Okarun using his yōkai form to outrun them; Turbo Granny also breaks free from Momo's grasp. Momo exploits Turbo Granny's notoriety as the Hundred-Kilo Granny by luring her on a train running faster than her; the train passes the city outskirts, and Momo and Okarun, with the help of Seiko, defeat Turbo Granny and presumably free Okarun from the curse. They return to the tunnel to pay their respects after learning Turbo Granny originally set out to comfort the spirits of girls who were victims of sexual assault and died horrible deaths. Momo later tells Okarun she is looking forward to seeing him the next day, much to Okarun's delight.
5	"Like, Where Are Your Balls?" Transliteration: "Tama wa Doko jan yo" (Japanese: タマはどこじゃんよ)	Hiromi Nishiyama	Hiromi Nishiyama	November 1, 2024 (2024-11-01)
As Momo and Okarun begin to bond at school, they get into a quarrel when Momo's friends misinterpret them as a couple. Okarun goes to the bathroom to relieve himself where he makes a startling discovery. He then runs to Momo's classroom and asks to talk to her but is turned away. At the end of classes, Okarun bumps into a student and apologizes to her as the student shows her friendliness; Momo overhears the student making fun of Okarun after leaving him. Angered, Momo uses her powers to injure the student. Okarun soon reveals to Momo that despite retrieving his "banana", he has now lost his balls, prompting the two to seek Seiko. Seiko performs a ritual on Okarun and Momo pulls out a spirit from him, which possesses a nearby maneki-neko doll. The doll is revealed to be the consciousness of Turbo Granny, who explains she possessed Okarun before being defeated. Okarun also showcases a new yōkai form despite Turbo Granny no longer possessing him, which Seiko reveals only her spiritual powers remain in him. Upon being confronted, Turbo Granny reveals she has no idea where she placed Okarun's balls.
6	"A Dangerous Woman Arrives" Transliteration: "Yabē Onna ga Kita" (Japanese: ヤベー女がきた)	Fukui Nozomi	Fukui Nozomi	November 8, 2024 (2024-11-08)
Turbo Granny explains that Okarun's balls, which are now golden kintama, are infused with her aura that draws spirits to it. At school, the student who picked on Okarun, Aira Shiratori, remarks on being able to see Momo's powers as Aira pulls out a kintama, which she took in the aftermath of Momo and Okarun's fight with Turbo Granny; Turbo Granny sees this and informs the two, sensing that Aira awakened to her spiritual powers. Aira confronts Momo and Okarun and asks to speak with Momo; Aira then attempts to exorcise her. Okarun and Turbo Granny rush to Momo's aid, but Okarun states Aira is being targeted as a figure in a pink dress captures her and calls themselves Aira's mother. Okarun and Momo fight the figure and Okarun is swallowed by her; Turbo Granny learns the figure is a spirit named Acrobatic Silky. When Aira calls the spirit a monster, Acrobatic Silky also swallows her before doing the same to Momo. Acrobatic Silky suddenly burns as Momo lit her hair using Aira's cross lighter, forcing her to free the trio.
7	"To a Kinder World" Transliteration: "Yasashii Sekai e" (Japanese: 優しい世界へ)	Kotaro Matsunaga	Shūto Enomoto	November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)
Momo and Okarun distract Acrobatic Silky long enough to defeat her, and they retrieve Okarun's kintama from Aira. However, the two realize Aira died due to being unable to handle a spirit as an ordinary human. As they attempt to resuscitate Aira, Acrobatic Silky offers to pass her aura to Aira to let her live. Momo connects their auras and sees Acrobatic Silky's past, revealing she was a single mother who worked odd jobs, including prostitution, to support her daughter and pay off a debt. Loan sharks broke into their home and assaulted the mother to collect her debt, abducting her daughter in the process; these events drove the mother to commit suicide. Her spirit wandered around for some time until a young Aira, who was dealing with the loss of her mother, sensed and mistook her for her own. Seeing this, the spirit vowed to protect Aira, transforming into Acrobatic Silky. Aira is revived and Momo is left in tears with the revelation as Acrobatic Silky withers away, voicing regret on being unable to reconcile with her trauma. After witnessing her past, Aira embraces and comforts Acrobatic Silky, praying she may find peace and swearing to not forget her.
8	"I've Got This Funny Feeling" Transliteration: "Nanka Moyamoya Suru jan yo" (Japanese: なんかモヤモヤするじゃんよ)	Hiroshi Nishikori	Hiroshi Nishikori	November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22)
Despite being saved by Momo and Okarun, Aira remains adamant in believing Momo is a demon and plans to free Okarun from her control, much to Momo's chagrin; Turbo Granny also reattaches Okarun's kintama to his body. Momo grows uneasy with Okarun splitting off from her at school and later sees him being on top of Aira. A few minutes earlier, Okarun was exercising when he was found by Aira. Aira awkwardly confessed her feelings to Okarun and they quarreled until they tripped, leaving the two at the position Momo found them in. Okarun attempts to clear the misunderstanding, but a jealous Momo refuses to listen. As classes continue, Okarun notices the school flooding and his classmates disappearing, leading him to meet with Aira and he reasons they are trapped in a realm similar to his fight with the Flatwoods monster. Elsewhere, Momo hides from an alien resembling the Loch Ness Monster as Okarun and Aira are confronted by a mantis shrimp-like alien. The Serpoians return and they capture Okarun and incapacitate Aira. As they plan to experiment on Okarun, Aira awakens to Acrobatic Silky's powers and stops the Serpoians from harming him.
9	"Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie!" Transliteration: "Gattai! Serupo Dōbā Dēmon Nesshī!" (Japanese: 合体！セルポドーバーデーモンネッシー！)	TBA	TBA	November 29, 2024 (2024-11-29)

Reception

Manga

By November 2023, the manga had over 3.2 million copies in circulation and over 360 million views on the Shōnen Jump+ platform. By October 2024, the manga had over 4 million copies in circulation.

In North America, the volumes of Dandadan were ranked on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan's monthly top 20 adult graphic novels list since October 2022.

In June 2021, Dandadan was nominated for the seventh Next Manga Award in the Best Web Manga category and placed second out of 50 nominees. It ranked fourth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 list of best manga for male readers. It was nominated for the 15th Manga Taishō in 2022 and placed seventh with 53 points. The series ranked first on both the Nationwide Bookstore Employees and Publisher Comics' Recommended Comics of 2022. The series ranked fourth in Tsutaya Comic Award 2022.

Anime

The series premiere was positively received by the writers of Anime News Network. Caitlin Moore and James Beckett gave it a perfect score; Moore complimented Science Saru's animation, the dynamic between Momo and Okarun, and their voice acting while Beckett praised the studio's art in bringing the anime to life, noting its romcom tropes combining with horror and science-fiction and Okarun's reference name. Richard Eisenbeis acknowledged the animation and story as he was enthusiastic about following the series. In contrast, while Rebecca Silverman agreed that the animation, visuals and dynamics were great, she did not enjoy the episode and expressed doubt she would continue watching the series due to the "sexual assault and a dialogue in scream" scenes.

Mike Mamon of IGN praised the first three episodes of the anime for its animation, storytelling, visuals, direction, characters, and voice acting, concluding that "Dandadan's first three episodes manage to stick the landing by focusing more on the anime's lovable protagonists and less so on the absurdity of the occult and extraterrestrial world they inhabit." Toussaint Egan of Polygon praised the adaptation for its animation and character designs, while complimenting the studio's decision of elevating the visuals and color design in combining with art direction to the anime's action sequences.

External links

• Dandadan official manga website at Shōnen Jump+ (in Japanese)
• Dandadan official manga website at Viz Media
• Dandadan on Manga Plus
• Dandadan official anime website (in Japanese)
• Dandadan (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia