Every Dandadan Alien With A Real-Life Counterpart, Explained

Summary

• Serpo Aliens in Dandadan are inspired by Ufology and Ultraman, with a costume that resembles a former Thai prime minister.
• The Flatwoods Monster in Dandadan refers to a real-life cryptid with bizarre features, depicted larger and as a sumo wrestler.
• Nessie in Dandadan takes inspiration from the Loch Ness Monster and Shin Godzilla, with its destructive water beam abilities.

Dandadan is the perfect combination between fantasy, horror and sci-fi, due to its unique and fascinating concept of spirits fighting aliens from outer space. The extraterrestrial beings from this popular anime and manga series are truly bizarre but, surprisingly enough, not all of them originated from the brilliant mind of author Yukinobu Tatsu.

In reality, the aliens in Dandadan draw most of their inspiration from different existing extraterrestrial creatures from the real world, whether they are from urban legends, classic folklore tales or even from fictional stories like books or movies. Some of the most dangerous and weirdest enemies in this series have an equally fascinating real-life counterpart, and the following eight are some of the most mind-blowing ones so far.

8

Serpo Aliens

Based On An Ufology Term, An Ultraman Enemy And A Former Thai Prime Minister

• First Appearance: Chapter 1 (Manga) Episode 1 (Anime)

There’s no denying that the Serpo Aliens are the most iconic alien enemies in all of Dandadan, as they appear at the very beginning of the story and are indirectly responsible for Momo Ayase unlocking her devastating psychic abilities. Of course, every single thing about these creepy extraterrestrial beings is based off of something from the real world, from the design of their costumes to their names.

For starters, Serpo is a prevalent term used in Ufology, which usually describes a mysterious project between the United States government and a race of aliens of the same name. On the other hand, the Serpo Alien’s true form looks almost identical to the Dada, an enemy alien race from the Ultraman franchise. But one of the weirdest sources of inspiration in all of Dandadan is related to the Serpo Aliens’ human-like costume, which looks a lot like Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand. Because of this odd but striking similarity, the Serpo Aliens have become a viral meme in that country.

7

Flatwoods Monster

Based On The Flatwoods Monster Cryptid

• First Appearance: Chapter 2 (Manga) Episode 2 (Anime)

Some of the references in Dandadan are far from subtle, as Okarun will occasionally mention them out loud, just like he did when he and Momo encountered the terrifying Flatwoods Monster. As its name implies, this was an alien entity sighted in the town of Flatwoods, West Virginia in 1952, and its most distinctive feature is its weird collar/head shaped like an ace of spades.

While the one seen in Flatwoods was around 3 meters tall, it was still relatively human-sized, to the point that some people believe it could have actually been a barn owl perched on a tree. On the other hand, Dandadan’s interpretation of the Flatwoods Monster is completely different from the real-life cryptid, as this one was incredibly huge, and its design resembled a Japanese sumo wrestler instead.

6

Mr. Mantis Shrimp

Based On The Dover Demon Cryptid

• First Appearance: Chapter 20 (Manga) Episode 8 (Anime)

One of the most trustworthy alien allies of the main duo goes by many names, like Mr. Mantis Shrimp or Peeny-Weeny but, according to Okarun himself, he’s also supposed to be the Dover Demon. Similarly to the Flatwoods Monster, this was an alien cryptid sighted in the United States back in 1977 and, as its name implies, he was seen in Dover, Massachusetts.

There are some slight similarities between Mr. Mantis Shrimp and the real-life Dover Demon, as both creatures have big bald heads and large hands. However, Dandadan’s portrayal of the alien is quite obviously based off of a crustacean, specifically the mighty Mantis Shrimp that also gives him his nickname. Furthermore, his empowered form seems to be slightly based off of Alien Baltan, another iconic Ultraman villain.

5

Nessie

Based On The Loch Ness Monster Cryptid And Shin Godzilla

• First Appearance: Chapter 19 (Manga) Episode 8 (Anime)

Nessie made its debut during the Serpo Arc alongside the Dover Demon and, while it was never fully confirmed if it was an actual alien, it was working for the Serpo Aliens, and it unexpectedly became one of their most important assets during that mission. Needless to say, Okarun’s ecstatic reaction says it all; Nessie is obviously based on the Loch Ness Monster.

This is arguably the best-known cryptid in the entire world, as the classic legend says that a plesiosaur who survived extinction is currently residing in the Loch Ness in Scotland. Yukinobu Tatsu went one step ahead when creating his own take on this monster, since it can fire destructive beams of pressured water. Nevertheless, because of this specific ability and its design, it’s evident that Nessie is based on the titular character of the 2016 kaiju film, Shin Godzilla.

4

Bamora

Based On Tokusatsu Actress Rie Ota And Gomora From Ultraman

• First Appearance: Chapter 63 (Manga)

Bamora is the only surviving child of the Sumerian race and an alien that fights while wearing a powerful kaiju exosuit. Because of all these elements, she is definitely one of the most fascinating and endearing characters in Dandadan and her main sources of inspiration are just as interesting as her.

Since she wears a kaiju suit, and has short, blonde hair, Bamora’s appearance is most likely based off of Rie Ota, a prominent Japanese stuntwoman and tokusatsu actress. Most people will most likely recognize her from the viral behind-the-scenes clip of her roaring while inside the Baragon suit in the movie Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Bamora’s exosuit, however, looks almost exactly like the Ultraman kaiju, Gomora.

3

The Kur Race

Based On H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos

• First Appearance: Chapter 72 (Manga)

One of humanity’s biggest threats in the world of Dandadan is the race of powerful space globalists known as the Kur. Behind their intimidating exosuits, they actually look like talking octopi, which not only aligns with the common belief that octopi and other mollusks are actually aliens hiding on earth, but also makes them look very similar to Cthulhu.

According to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, this is an ancient cosmic entity with an octopus-like head that is worshipped by its own cult. Since it’s the main star of the Cthulhu Mythos and the most well-known character created by Lovecraft, it has inevitably appeared in countless films, books, shows and video games. As a result, it’s no surprise that Cthulhu made its way to Dandadan, with an entire race of alien antagonists designed after it. Lastly, the name of the leader of the Kur Race, Hastur, derives from another entity from the very same mythos.

2

Kur Exosuits

Based On Various Ancient Figurines From Real Japanese Cultures

• First Appearance: Chapter 63 (Manga)

But, of course, the Kur Race would be nothing without the Exosuits that they use to conquer other planets and defeat their inhabitants. These powerful tools of war come in many shapes and sizes, but most of them are quite obviously designed after ancient figurines found by real-life archaeologists around the world.

Most of the Kur Exosuits were inspired by different clay figurines from the Jōmon period of ancient Japan: the Takonoka Ru Patcho Exosuit is based on the Shakōkidogū, the Ta Komeshi Exosuit is based on the Masked Goddess, the Suda Ko Exosuit is based on the Haniwa Terracotta Dancers and the Imotako Exosuit is based on the famous Dogū with palms pressed together.

1

Count Saint-Germain

Based On The Legendary Count of St. Germain

• First Appearance: Chapter 120 (Manga)

Count Saint-Germain is a collector of occult and paranormal objects and one of the most mysterious antagonists in Dandadan (He might even become the series’ main villain). Despite his seemingly human-like appearance, he seems to be an alien who worked closely with the Kur, and it’s now looking for powerful supernatural items on Earth.

He quite obviously shares his name with the Count of St. Germain, a famous French scientist, alchemist, philosopher and artist who made many far-fetched statements, including the claim that he was actually 300 years old, which led to Voltaire to give him the title of “Wonderman”. Because of his mysterious story and crazy career, characters based on this Count appear in all sorts of fictional works, like Castlevania or Shin Megami Tensei.