Dandadan

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Japanese: ダンダダン

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Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Apr 6, 2021 to ?

Genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump+

Authors: Tatsu, Yukinobu (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.42¹ (scored by 79,407 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #256²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #41

Members: 214,168

Favorites: 10,943

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8.42

Ranked #256Popularity #41Members 214,168

MangaShounen Jump+Tatsu, Yukinobu (Story & Art)

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Dandadan

Vol. 1
$6.99

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Synopsis

After being aggressively rejected, Momo Ayase finds herself sulking when she stumbles across a boy being bullied. Saved by her rash kindness, the occult-obsessed boy attempts to speak to her about supernatural interests he believes they share. Rejecting his claims, Ayase proclaimed that she instead is a believer in ghosts, starting an argument between the two over which is real.

In a bet to determine who is correct, the two decide to separately visit locations associated with both the occult and the supernatural—Ayase visiting the former and the boy visiting the latter. When the two reach their respective places, it turns out that neither was wrong and that both the occult and ghosts do exist.

This marks the beginning of Ayase and the boy's adventure, as they attempt to fix the surreal, supernatural, and occult elements around them to return to a normal life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Dandadan ranked fourth in the 2022 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! for the Male Readers division. The manga was nominated for the 15th Manga Taisho Award in 2022 and ranked seventh in the final ranking.

The series has been simulpub digitally in English through MANGA Plus. The volumes have been published in English by VIZ Media under the Shonen Jump imprint since October 11, 2022. It has also been released in Italian by J-POP since September 21, 2022.

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Related Entries

More characters
Characters

Ayase, Momo

Main

Takakura, Ken

Main

Shiratori, Aira

Supporting

Ayase, Seiko

Supporting

Enjouji, Jin

Supporting

Turbo Granny

Supporting

Vamola

Supporting

Sakata, Kinta

Supporting

Mr. Mantis Shrimp

Supporting

Unji, Zuma

Supporting

Reviews

Feb 5, 2026

infinitegreen0

Recommended

Well-written

Preliminary (224/? eps)

The sad truth about media — books, film, art, music, etc. — is that 80% of it is low-effort, mass produced garbage where profit margins replace creative vision, and we all suffer for it. Case in point: Netflix is on record for intentionally rendering its writing more stupid in order to pander to phone-addicted audiences, and “somehow Emperor Palpatine returned.”

Despite how condescending these trends are, we frequently consume such media regardless — partly because media marketing is a science on par with quantum physics, and partly because FOMO is a bitch. The downside of this, however, is that our expectations slowly but surely fall until ... they hit the floor. How many times have you or someone you know said, “Hollywood doesn’t make any original movies anymore!”

My friend who goes to the movie theater dozens of times a year begs to differ, and argues that if people actually put their money where their mouth is, they’d realize that there are still *plenty* of genuine creatives in operation — they’re just harder to find than they used to be (I’m looking at you, AI algorithms).

Why do I say all of this? Because even in our B-list media world, there comes every now and again a series that is *so* god damn good that it reminds even the most cynical person that our collective bar of quality can be so, so much higher than it usually is. Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, for example, did this for television in the 2010s with its complex and engaging writing, political maneuvering, award-winning acting, and jaw-dropping plot twists.

Dandadan does the same thing for shōnen manga. For too long, readers have accepted as gospel truth that romance can only be a footnote in any action-based series: Sword Art Online and My Hero Academia are well known for their simplistic female characters who exist largely to fawn over the MC (and in the case of the latter, not even have a satisfying romantic ending), and even top-tier heavyweights like Vagabond follow a similar pattern of a side-quest female love interest.

Enter Yukinobu Tatsu, who managed to create a story in which action and romance are not competing, but complimentary threads that produce much more than the sum of their parts. Momo and Ken’s dynamic is unbelievably adorable, *and* the action sequences are stellar: why isn’t this the expectation for all shōnen manga, rather than the exception? The bar has been raised.

The same goes for tropes, which Tatsu shatters for breakfast. The childhood best friend? Subverted. The popular girl love triangle? Subverted. Over and over again the mangaka tackles tired stereotypes and re-fashions them into something genuinely interesting and plot relevant. This, especially, is a breath of fresh air amongst other manga/anime that claim to be “meta” in order to “subvert” tropes they use, when really they just want to use tropes — fanservice in particular — and not be criticized for it (100 Girlfriends and Konosuba are especially guilty of this).

Unfortunately, the manga does occasionally have its struggles, which is why I withhold a 10/10 rating. Chapters 1-150 are perfection, for example, but the pacing has since faltered in frustrating ways. And despite all my previous praise of Dandadan expertly balancing romance and action, that dynamic has begun to show signs of rot. I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to accuse Tatsu of intentionally dragging out certain relationships in order to artificially lengthen the story, but narrative uncertainty has for some time plagued the story more than I’d like to see.

Another issue Dandadan faces (as of writing) is cast bloat: large casts can certainly be managed, so long as you proportionately dedicate the chapters and time required for authentic, character-driven conversations to occur that build, define, and expand new and ongoing relationships. In contrast, depending too heavily on action to propel your story forward results in short-term gains at long-term expense; if the reader doesn’t feel sufficiently invested in a character, or believe that their emotional conflict is not sufficiently complex or has no hope of resolution, then any conflict involving them feels like time robbed from more important and interesting protagonists. Talking isn’t always stalling; it creates depth, which greatly enhances action over time.

In the end, however, the manga’s bedrock foundation and beloved reputation ensures that Tatsu has a comfortable amount of breathing room to steer the ship toward better waters (on a related note, Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family have likewise come under recent scrutiny for what some readers feel has been a tedious stalling out of major plotlines).

Which brings us back to “bar raising”: manga as stellar as Dandadan often receive criticism much sharper than its competitors, both because so many more eyes are on it and expectations are significantly higher. My overall rating, then, hopefully reflects my stance that, while the manga has its faults, it is ultimately a must-read and just a damn good time 9/10

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Sep 30, 2025

BlernsballMVP

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (5/? eps)

DanDaDan is....okay? A decent way to pass an hour, but I don't get the hype really. I didn't read past the first volume. I feel like action manga lately have fallen into a rut of focusing more on being wacky and chaotic and high energy than being genuine or well constructed. "Jojo's syndrome" you might call it, though DDD also adds in Chainsaw Man's sex stuff.

DDD's basic set-up is fine-an alien believer and a spiritualist get embroiled in the other's paranormal shenanigans-but in practice it's like JuJutsu Kaisen or any other story following in YuYu Hakusho's footsteps, particularly given the greater focus on the ...

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Mar 5, 2026

Shironasu

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (227/? eps)

There are so many manga in the world, so it's difficult to make them not look similar or repetitive. That's why I appreciate manga that try to break away from conventions and do something different. but for this manga, it just ain't. let's see why.....

Look at me!!!!, look at me!!!!. I do weird and ramdom things!!!!!!, unlike anyone else!!!!. That's why I'm good and not like those slop!!!!

Yeah, this stupid manga offers nothing but its desperate attempts to break convention. Sure, I appreciate the unconventional, but if that's all there is without substance or meaning or weigh, It likes it has something, but almost of ...

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Poll: Dandadan Chapter 233 Discussion MegamiRem - May 11	12 replies	by DeliciousDishes »» 7 hours ago
Poll: Dandadan Chapter 231 Discussion MegamiRem - Apr 6	35 replies	by Tamer2002 »» May 10, 10:05 PM
Poll: Dandadan Chapter 232 Discussion MegamiRem - May 4	45 replies	by daywithoutgames »» May 10, 10:38 AM
Poll: Dandadan Chapter 230 Discussion ( 1 2 ) MegamiRem - Mar 30	55 replies	by Ashhk »» May 10, 1:25 AM
Poll: Dandadan Chapter 229 Discussion MegamiRem - Mar 16	24 replies	by Ashhk »» May 10, 12:58 AM

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