Every Yokai In Dandadan With A Real-Life Counterpart

Summary

• All the spirits in Dandadan are inspired by real-world myths and legends, adding depth and creativity to the story.
• Turbo Granny, Earthbound Spirit Crab, and Reiko Kashima are some of the supernatural beings based on existing Japanese folklore.
• Evil Eye, Acrobatic Silky, and Umbrella Boy are other characters in Dandadan drawn from urban legends and folklore all around the world.

Dandadan is a brilliant manga centered on the war between yokai/spirits and space aliens, with humanity trapped right in the middle of their conflict. As creative as series’ author Yukinobu Tatsu is, he didn’t come up with all the supernatural beings that interact with Okarun, Momo, and their friends on his own. Every single one of them is based on some sort of existing fictional tale.

Whether it’s a myth from classic Japanese folklore or a more contemporary urban legend that has popped up in the country in recent years, most of the powerful yokai in Dandadan have a counterpart from the real world, and the following ones are definitely some of the most fascinating so far.

7

Turbo Granny

Based On The Urban Legend Of The Same Name

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

Turbo Granny is the yokai responsible for Okarun’s incredible powers and is the mascot of Dandadan as a whole. Therefore, it is no surprise that this legendary old woman who can run at blinding speeds actually comes from a real-life urban legend of the same name that has been circulating in Japan for the last couple of years.

According to the legend of Turbo Granny, people driving through Hyogo Prefecture can sometimes catch a glimpse of a mysterious old lady running at incredible speeds that allow her to catch up to their own vehicles. Some versions of the story even claim that she will eventually capture these drivers and curse them forever. Curiously enough, Dandadan is not the only anime and manga series that has referenced this popular urban legend in recent years, as some viewers may remember the appearance of Dash Granny in Season 2 of Mob Psycho 100.

6

Earthbound Spirit Crab

Based On The Myth Of The Heikegani Crabs

• First Appearance: Chapter 5 (Manga) Episode 4 (Anime)

Turbo Granny’s main ally during her introductory arc is the Earthbound Spirit Crab, a massive crab-like spirit who holds the souls of all the girls who were murdered in the Shono City tunnel. This powerful but surprisingly tragic creature is actually based on one of the most captivating legends related to an animal from the real world.

The Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, and its most prominent feature is the bizarre pattern on its shell that closely resembles the face of a human. According to The Tale of the Heike, Heikegani crabs are the reincarnations of the Heike Warriors who passed away during the Battle of Dan-no-ura of the Genpei War. Of course, Dandadan’s Earthbound Spirit Crab has a slightly different backstory, which is more modern and even sadder.

5

Acrobatic Silky

Based On Acrobatic Sara Sara And La Llorona

• First Appearance: Chapter 13 (Manga) Episode 6 (Anime)

Not every single spirit in Dandadan is based on one single real-life myth, and Acrobatic Silky is one of the most notorious examples. The most tragic yokai in the series owes its inspiration to two similar urban legends centered on mysterious feminine creatures: The Acrobatic Sara Sara from Japan and La Llorona from Latin America.

It’s evident that Acrobatic Sara Sara served as the main inspiration behind Acrobatic Silky, not only because their names are similar, but also because this Japanese urban legend from the early 2000s is all about a tall and creepy acrobatic woman with long black hair and a red outfit. However, when it came to writing Acrobatic Silky’s famous backstory, Yukinobu Tatsu clearly drew some inspiration from the tale of La Llorona, the ghost of a crying woman who is constantly searching for her dead children. Some moviegoers may remember her because she was the main star of the 2019 film The Curse of La Llorona, set within The Conjuring cinematic universe.

4

Evil Eye

Based On The Curse Of The Evil Eye

• First Appearance: Chapter 28 (Manga) Episode 11 (Anime)

At one point in the manga (not too far from where Season 1 left off), Jiji Enjoji gets possessed by one of the most powerful vengeful spirits in the world: the Evil Eye. Back when he lived, he was a young boy who the Kito Family chose to sacrifice to the Tsuchinoko. As a result of his unfair capture, he was never allowed to live a good, normal life and grew envious and resentful until the day of his death, wishing he could play outside with all the other kids the town.

In real life, the curse of the Evil Eye is also related to envy and grudges. According to different variations of the same belief from cultures in the Mediterranean Region, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and more, an evil glare brimming with envy can curse someone and cause them great misfortune or devastating physical injuries. What Yukinobu Tatsu essentially did in Dandadan was give the Evil Eye curse an actual body and turn it into its own character, which ended up working very well.

3

Reiko Kashima

Based On The Kuchisake-onna (Or Slit-Mouthed Woman)

• First Appearance: Chapter 74 (Manga)

Reiko Kashima is arguably the most dangerous and terrifying evil spirit in all of Dandadan, as this vengeful woman obsessively pursued Momo Ayase for a long time and was eventually able to defeat an entire army of aliens with her mirror-based powers. Since she is also referred to as the Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman) in the manga, she’s quite obviously based on the Japanese urban legend of the same name.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most popular folklore tales of modern Japan, seeing as the Kuchisake-onna famously appeared in multiple anime and manga series, like Mob Psycho 100, Jujutsu Kaisen, and even her own romance manga titled Even If You Slit My Mouth. The real-life legend says that she’s the malicious spirit of a woman who hides her face behind a mask, asks her victims if she’s beautiful, and attacks them depending on their answer. Her portrayal in Dandadan stayed relatively faithful to this story, even if her design is a bit goofier, but very creepy nonetheless.

2

Onbusuman / Mai Kawabanga

Based On Two Yokai, The Konaki-jiji And The Obariyon

• First Appearance: Chapter 123 (Manga)

Despite its admittedly bizarre and unique design, the Onbusuman is not actually based off of a concrete urban legend or yokai. Instead, it seems that it’s a combination of several different yokai, with one of them being the Konaki-jiji. This is a Japanese yokai with the appearance of an old man with a turtle shell who lures people into picking it up like a baby, only to become extremely heavy and crush them with its weight. The Konaki-jiji was prominently featured in a few video games, like Nioh 2 and Yo-Kai Watch.

The Onbusuman very clearly shares its design and some of its abilities with the Konaki-jiji, but it’s evident that another yokai, named Obariyon, also served as a main source of inspiration. This child-like entity likes to hop on people’s backs and become so incredibly heavy that they can’t walk anymore, which is very similar to the way in which the Onbusuman was affecting Rin Sawaki. Of course, the Obariyon also appeared in a few Japanese video games, mainly the Shin Megami Tensei series.

1

Umbrella Boy / Futa Zuma

Based On The Kasa-obake Yokai

• First Appearance: Chapter 152 (Manga)

When Unji Zuma was first introduced and showcased his umbrella-based abilities, this concept came off as weird and unconventional. However, it makes a lot more sense when readers realize that he got his spiritual powers from his deceased brother, Futa Zuma, who became a Kasa-obake in the afterlife, one of the most well-known yokai in Japanese folklore.

According to myth, old paper umbrellas in Japan will transform into this creature with one eye, one leg, and a long tongue after a certain amount of time has passed. The Kasa-obake is supposed to be one of the most mundane and mischievous yokai in Japanese mythology, since they mostly focus on hiding among other umbrellas in order to sneak up on people and lick them. Nevertheless, Yukinobu Tatsu’s decision to take this seemingly weak creature and turn it into one of the coolest and strongest characters in all of Dandadan was extremely brilliant.