Dandadan

Yukinobu Tatsu launched Dandadan on Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ platform on April 6, 2021. The series follows Momo Ayase, a high school girl who believes in ghosts but not aliens, and Ken Takakura, a classmate obsessed with aliens who dismisses ghosts. After a bet to prove each other wrong, Momo visits a haunted tunnel while Okarun investigates a UFO sighting. They discover that both the supernatural and extraterrestrial are real: a spirit called Turbo Granny possesses Momo, granting her psychic abilities, while aliens steal Okarun's genitals, giving him the power to channel Turbo Granny's energy. The pair must recover Okarun's missing body part while battling ghosts, aliens, and cursed objects, all while navigating their growing romantic tension and assembling a team of eccentric allies.

Tatsu's background as an assistant to Yusuke Murata on One-Punch Man and to Tatsuki Fujimoto on Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man shaped his dynamic art style and narrative pacing. His earlier one-shots Yokai Buster Murakami (2019) and KamiKiller (2020) directly inspired Dandadan's concept. The manga blends action, romantic comedy, supernatural horror, and science fiction, weaving Japanese yokai folklore with alien invaders. Its core themes include belief versus skepticism, found family, coming-of-age romance, and body horror.

As of August 2025, Dandadan has over 15 million copies in circulation worldwide and is published in 17 languages across 30 countries. The English edition by Viz Media has been a consistent New York Times manga bestseller, with Volume 1 spending 12 weeks on the list. The series won the 2023 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material, Asia and ranked #1 in the New York Times Top 10 Manga for 2024. A 12-episode anime adaptation by Science SARU aired from October to December 2024, directed by Fuga Yamashiro with music by Kensuke Ushio, earning a 96% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. A second season is confirmed for 2025.[edit]