In an era dominated by the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia, Dandadan came out swinging and quickly stood out from the crowd with its blend of sci-fi and supernatural elements. Although our protagonists seem like your run-of-the-mill high school students with typical teen woes, their lives take a different turn after amassing powers of their own.
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One of the outcomes of encountering a yokai in the series is the potential to merge with the spirit and use its powers. Throughout the series, we witness multiple occasions of spirit transformations, each with its own unique appearance and side effects. As such, we’ve decided to compile a list of all the spirit transformations in Dandadan and rank them by power.
5
Rin Sawaki
Onbusuman
Although Rin Sawaki has been in the background for the earlier arcs of Dandadan, she comes to the fore during the Onbusuman Arc, after confessing to Okarun that she gave his second kintama to the police. It didn’t take long after that to discover that she was being haunted by an Onbusuman, who turned out to be her friend Mai’s spirit.
Despite the tragic backstory between the two friends – both of whom desire to become idols – Mai only wishes for Rin to fulfil her dreams. After fusing with Mai, Rin gains the abilities of the Onbusuman. Her powers mainly centre on manipulating gravity, which she can activate by singing. She becomes a pivotal ally to Okarun, Momo and their friends, using her newfound powers to save lives.
4
Aira Shiratori
Acrobatic Silky
Aira Shiratori’s spirit transformation abilities were not initially a case of possession as it was with Okarun. Aira became the target of the yokai Acrobatic Silky, who was originally a human woman who lost her child and committed suicide as a result. After Acrobatic Silky was defeated, the spirit transferred her aura, and thereby her powers, to Aira to help bring her back to life.
When Aira transforms into Acrobatic Silky, the most notable physical change is her hair, which turns dark pink and extends in length. She is not only able to capture or restrain opponents using her extendable hair, but she gains increased durability and is probably the most agile of all the spirit transformations. As the name ‘Acrobatic Silky’ suggests, it allows Aira the ability to perform acrobatics and use them in combat, and she mainly uses her legs to attack.
3
Unji Zuma
Umbrella Boy
By the time Okarun, Momo and the gang meet Unji Zuma, he already possesses the power of the yokai, Umbrella Boy. After losing his entire family, Zuma met the Umbrella Boy and accepted an agreement to merge with the spirit so that he could use its powers. We get a full view of the Umbrella Boy’s powers in the diorama during the Danmanra Arc as he attempts to destroy the diorama’s inner world.
Umbrella Boy’s powers have both offensive and defensive capabilities. As with every spirit transformation, its holder gains a massive boost to their physical strength and speed, and Umbrella Boy is no different. When transformed, he has the power to summon two umbrellas at a time, which allows him to deal massive damage by shooting shockwave blasts when he opens his umbrellas. He can also fly using his umbrellas or use them as a weapon in a close-quarter fight.
Although not yet animated, both Zuma and his Umbrella Boy transformation can only mean a cinematic action sequence, which is par for the course for Dandadan.
2
Enjoji Jin
Evil Eye
When Enjoji Jin (or Jiji for short) appeared on the doorstep of the Ayase home, who knew this carefree, silly teenager would end up harbouring one of the deadliest yokai in the show? Jiji is sent packing from his home after being terrorised by the Evil Eye and he comes to the Ayase family home to ask for help. Although he does end up possessed by the Evil Eye, the violent yokai is mollified after Okarun promises to battle him every week.
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As mentioned before, the Evil Eye is a very powerful yokai, to the point where Turbo Granny herself admits she’s cautious of fighting him. When transformed into the Evil Eye, Jiji can emit a powerful repulsion that blows his target away in a move called a ‘Ha Wave’. Aside from increased strength and durability, Jiji can chant words to power up his attacks and shoot an energy beam. Interestingly, Jiji is gifted with spiritual power that allows him to subdue the Evil Eye from taking over.
1
Takakura Ken/Okarun
Turbo Granny
The very first spirit transformation we see in Dandadan, Okarun’s fusing with Turbo Granny’s powers was not meant to be permanent – at least not in Turbo Granny’s books. After being dared to go to a haunted tunnel by Ayase Momo, Okarun inadvertently challenged Turbo Granny to a race and lost, resulting in Turbo Granny cursing him and possessing his body.
However, after Turbo Granny was defeated, Okarun was able to use her powers independently. Okarun can transform at will, able to use Turbo Granny’s unimaginable speed to outrun his opponents and defeat them. He also seems to have an overall physical power-up, capable of carrying Aira and Momo on his back during the fight against the Serpos.
Aside from speed, Okarun has been able to explore other facets of Turbo Granny’s powers, such as using telephone lines to teleport from one place to another. His spirit transformation grants Okarun superfast reaction times, reflexes, and increased durability. His physical appearance changes with the addition of a mouth mask, and he has a level of jaw strength that’s capable of biting off limbs. However, in the manga, Okarun has returned Turbo Granny’s powers to her after getting his kintama back.
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