Dandadan: The Slit-Mouthed Woman, Explained

Summary

• The Slit-Mouthed Woman, Reiko Kashima, is a powerful Yokai with unique abilities in Dandadan.
• Reiko’s super strength, speed, durability, mirror portal, and possession make her a fearsome Yokai.
• The Slit-Mouthed Woman is inspired by the Japanese folklore of Kuchisake-onna and plays a key role in the story.

As a series that features both Yokai and Aliens, Dandadan has its fair share of strange and dangerous creatures. From a Yokai grandma who dashes around like Sonic the Hedgehog to creepy aliens with unhinged obsessions over human beings’ private parts, this series has them all.

One of the most fascinating Yokai in Dandadan is called the Slit-Mouthed Woman. She only appears for a brief moment in the story, but she certainly left such a lasting impact on the audience. The Slit-Mouthed Woman is often dubbed as the most powerful Yokai in Japan, and here’s all you need to know about her. This part of Dandadan hasn’t been adapted to anime yet, so spoiler alert.

Who is the Slit-Mouthed Woman?

The Legend of Reiko Kashima

The Slit-Mouthed Woman is a female Yokai who resides in an abandoned building complex near Momo’s house. She is taller than a two-story building and has a mouth wider than her face with a full set of razor-sharp teeth inside. She is often seen in a white dress with a small mirror in her hand.

According to Grandma Seiko, the Slit-Mouthed Woman’s real name is Reiko Kashima. Based on a brief flashback at the end of the Space Globalist arc, she used to be a human who lived around the time of the Second World War. Reiko seems to be a victim of an aerial bombing that kills her, her loved ones and ravages her neighborhood as well.

Reiko despises any girls that she deems to be cute or beautiful and won’t hesitate to do whatever she can to kill them, or at least injure their face. That being said, she won’t actively go out of her way to hunt beautiful women. She simply preys on those who are unfortunate enough to enter her territory. Additionally, Seiko says the Slit-Mouthed Woman is the most powerful Yokai she has ever encountered.

“Do you know why those ruins have remained untouched? Because No one can defeat Reiko Kashima.”

–Seiko Ayase, Chapter 77

Slit-Mouthed Woman’s Powers and Abilities

As somebody who has been active in the Yokai industry for decades and has faced all kinds of dangerous Yokai, Seiko Ayase is certainly the most qualified person to assess the strength of a Yokai. So when she says that the Slit-Mouthed Woman is the most powerful Yokai in Japan, this means she is the most powerful Yokai in Japan. But how powerful is she actually?

Here are some of the innate powers and unique abilities of Reiko Kashima, the Slit-Mouthed Woman. By the way, keep in mind that the names of these abilities are never mentioned in the series. This is simply our way of describing the nature of each of Reiko’s unique abilities.

Super Strength

Although she is taller than two-story houses, Reiko Kashima has rather thin limbs. Almost too thin for her imposing stature. That being said, those limbs can generate enough force to destroy a thick wall with one punch. Getting punched by Riko is akin to getting hit by a high-speed semi-truck. Her immense muscle power is so strong that she can crack the ground with a single stomp. Never mind her unique abilities, her sheer strength alone makes her a fearsome opponent.

Super Speed

The term “Super Speed” may be a bit misleading for Reiko. After all, when it comes to raw speed, Turbo Granny is way faster than her. Reiko’s speed actually comes from her strength. Think of it like the Incredible Hulk who can cover miles of distance simply by using his leg muscles to jump as high as he can. When Reiko focuses her strength on her leg and stomps the ground as hard as she can, she will launch forward like a bullet train.

Super Durability

Reiko Kashima may have a slim body and thin limbs, but her durability is out of this world. She can withstand the full-powered punch from Vamola in her Kaiju suit without moving an inch and it barely leaves any scratch on her face. Forget punching or trying to hurt her, Vamola can’t even force her to move away from her initial standing position. It’s like trying to fight a cliff.

Mirror Portal

Reiko is obsessed with beautiful faces, particularly her own face, which is why her unique ability revolves around mirrors. This ability manifested in different forms. The first one is the mirror portal. Reiko can turn her personal mirror into a portal that connects to any mirror around her. This ability allows her to grab things or punch her target even if she is physically far away from them. She can also connect her mirror to multiple mirrors at the same time and send her fist through every single one of those mirrors to create one massive Yokai punch.

Mirror Prison

As the name suggests, anybody who is reflected in Reiko’s mirror will be captured and trapped inside the mirror. The world behind the mirror is a separate dimension, which means there’s no limit to how big or how many things or people she can imprison inside her mirror. Reiko uses this ability to trap Momo and Vamola during their first encounter. Unlike Mirror Portal, Mirror Prison only works with Reiko’s personal mirror.

Mirror Heart

This ability lets Reiko glimpse into someone’s heart and uncover their deepest secrets. From personal details to the way their crush speaks, she can learn it all with Mirror Heart. This ability only works for a target who has been captured, or at least reflected, on Reiko’s mirror. However, she only has the information that is available during the time of capture. Any new information after that point will be unavailable to her. Using Mirror Heart, Reiko impersonates Okarun to lure Momo out of the house, so that she can punish her once and for all.

Mirror Possession

Mirror Possession is Reiko’s most dangerous and fearsome ability. It allows her to possess anyone carrying a mirror. It isn’t a full possession but rather the hijacking of the target’s consciousness, allowing Reiko to control their speech and movements. Reiko uses this ability to possess an internet cafe worker to check on Momo.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman’s Weakness and Limitations

The Slit-Mouthed Woman’s powers and abilities may look scary and dangerous, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any shortcomings. On the contrary, Reiko Kashima has several glaring weaknesses and limitations that can be exploited by her enemies.

Pomade, Pomade, Pomade

According to the legend, those who are unfortunate enough to meet the infamous Slit-Mouthed Woman have to ignore her questions and say the word “Pomade” instead. Once you’ve said the word ten times, the Slit-Mouthed Woman will disappear. Momo tried this method and it works like a charm.

However, saying the word “Pomade” ten times is actually akin to saying a spell that simply banishes Reiko to another dimension. Not only that it won’t kill her, but it also makes her immune to this method. The next time Momo encounters Reiko, she has to say the word “Pomade” 100 times for it to have any effect on Reiko.

Late Night Only

Except for her initial encounter with anyone unlucky enough to cross her path during the day, such as Momo and Vamola, Reiko is typically active only at night. Not only that, she can only hunt her target after 10 pm. No matter where you are, if the Slit-Mouthed Woman has set her eyes on you and you are outside after 10 pm, she will definitely find you. That’s why Seiko forbids Momo from leaving their house after 10 pm. Any other time before that is safe though.

Come See Me if You Dare

Thanks to Mirror Heart, Reiko can easily find her target’s home. However, she can’t enter the house by herself. Her target has to willingly go outside. This is why she uses the secrets obtained through Mirror Heart to lure her target. She will even slam the walls, scream as loud as she can, and cause any kind of disturbance, just to make her target’s night a living hell. But as long as you are inside, the Slit-Mouthed Woman can’t do anything to you.

Slit-Mouthed Woman’s Role in the Story

Reiko ‘The Slit-Mouthed Woman’ Kashima plays a minor role in the story, appearing briefly between the conclusion of the Kaiju arc and the end of the Space Globalist arc. Specifically, she appears a few times between chapters 74 through 120. Despite her brief presence, she serves an important role in the narrative. Here are some of the things that she’s done in the story.

The Guardian of the Abandoned Buildings

Momo first crosses paths with the Slit-Mouthed Woman in the abandoned building complex near her house. It’s unclear whether she is bound to that land or she just happens to be there that day. One thing’s for sure, she’s been there for quite some time. That’s why Seiko explicitly forbids Momo from taking that path to school.

When Reiko meets Momo and Vamola on that fateful day, she immediately resorts to violence, fully determined to harm the girls. Unfortunately for her, the girls manage to escape her wrath. From that moment on, she fixates her attention on the loudmouth Momo.

Momo’s Stalker

Once Reiko sets her sights on someone, she essentially becomes a stalker. The moment the clocks strike 10 pm, she will look for Momo. If she happens to be inside her home or any sort of establishment, Reiko will use every trick in her books to lure Momo out, including using her Mirror Heart and Mirror Possession. If she catches Momo outside, then the violent attacks continue.

Neutralizing Alien Invasion

During the Space Globalist arc, a race of powerful aliens comes to invade the Earth. Momo, Okarun, and their friends try their best to fight them but the difference in number is simply too great. Our wounded heroes can only look at the incoming alien fleet with despair. That’s when Reiko Kashima comes in and single-handedly defeats the entire fleet. As if that’s not impressive enough, it actually only takes her a couple of minutes to neutralize the alien invasion. She is the most powerful Yokai indeed.

“Reiko Kashima. Even my Grandma can’t beat her. She’s the most powerful Yokai of all.”

–Momo Ayase, Chapter 118

Slit-Mouthed Woman in Japanese Folklore

The Legend of the Kuchisake-onna

Just like most Yokai in Dandadan, the Slit-Mouthed Woman is inspired by a real Japanese folklore called the Kuchisake-onna. It’s unclear when or where this folk tale originated. Some experts say it’s been around since the 17th to 19th centuries, while others say it actually began around the 1970s. One thing’s for sure: everybody in Japan knows about the legend of Kuchisake-onna.

According to legend, Kuchisaki-onna takes the form of a beautiful woman who covers her mouth with a mask. Some stories say surgical mask, others say a piece of cloth. She will ask any unsuspecting passerby a simple question. “Am I beautiful?” If they say “no”, she will kill them. If they say “yes”, she will open her mask and ask again. “What about now?” If they say “no”, she will kill them. If they say “yes”, she will use her knife or scissor to slit her victim’s mouth so they can look like her.

There have been numerous depictions of Kuchisake-onna in popular culture in all media. From a dedicated movie like Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman, to appearances in anime and manga like in the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen or a manga called Even If You Slit My Mouth by Akari Kajimoto. The latest one is, of course, Reiko Kashima from Dandadan. And that concludes all you need to know about the Slit-Mouthed Woman in Dandadan.

Dandadan is available to stream on Crunchyroll.