Every spirit and yokai featured in Dandadan Season 1 is inspired by real-life phenomena!
Get your conspiracy hat on, because Dandadan Season 2’s first three episodes are hitting movie theatres starting 30 May! But before you buy your tickets and dive into your closet for some chic gyaru fits and some tin foil, are you sure that you’ve got all the info you need on the various supernatural beings featured in the show?
Dandadan is steeped in rich Japanese folklore, pulled from both traditional and modern urban legends. The country and the culture itself has a deep belief and veneration of things beyond the mortal veil. Momo Ayase, one of the two major protagonists, grew up in a shamanic household immersed in Shinto spiritualism, shaping her into a believer of ghosts and the supernatural from the beginning of the show.
If you want to dive deeper into the expansive lore of Dandadan, or just need a refresher for when Season 2 premieres in July, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here’s your guide to every ghost and yokai featured in Season 1:
Turbo Granny
You may think that Turbo Granny is a made for manga and TV character, but this speeding grandma is a popular urban legend in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, specifically around the roads of Mt. Roku.
In the show, it was established that Turbo Granny is a yokai who attacks men and boys, particularly eyeing their genitals, as a way to avenge the ghosts of women who were unjustly assaulted and killed.
However, in the urban legend, Turbo Granny is simply a yokai who loves to prank drivers who are speeding within the various tunnels threading through mountainous areas. It’s been said that a driver may hear a tap on their window, and when looking out, will see an old woman with a mischievous grin on her face, easily keeping up to the speed of their car.
The Earth-bound Spirit Crab
The Earth-bound Spirit Crab in Dandadan is portrayed as an amalgamation of restless souls who were rescued by Turbo Granny–tragic young women who are tied to the places they were unjustly murdered in. In real life however, the Earth-bound Spirit Crab is actually composed of two different phenomena: the Earth-bound Spirits and the Heikei Crabs.
The Earth-bound Spirit is not exclusive to Japan, it’s actually a different term you can use when talking about ghosts. Earth-bound Spirits are souls who could not move on to the afterlife, and are generally tied to the place where they passed away (hence, being bound to the “earth”). These spirits are usually tied to their regret, fear, or anger.
On the other hand, the Heikei Crabs, or Heikegani, are a real life crab species native to Japan with a distinct human-like face on their carapaces–particularly interpreted as the face of an angry samurai. People in olden times believed that the Heikei Crabs are reincarnations of the warriors who died during the battle of Dan-no-ura at the end of the 12th century.
Acrobatic Silky
Acrobatic Silky is probably one of the most tragic characters ever introduced in Dandadan’s first season. In the show, she is characterised as a wandering Earth-bound Spirit turned yokai, who, in her human life, was a single mother steeped in debt, and later on took her life when her daughter was taken away by loan sharks.
In real urban legend however, Acrobatic Silky, or more commonly known as Akusara or Sara Sara, is a yokai more akin to the Kuchisake Onna (Slitmouth Woman). Dandadan generally keeps the design beats for Akusara the same way she is described in her legend: she is a mysterious malevolent creature over two metres tall, with long black hair, a red coat, and a wide-brimmed hat. Her left arm is covered in scars, she has no eyes, and sports an unnaturally wide grin that makes it seem like her mouth had been cut from ear to ear.
According to various versions of the urban legend, Akusara can be encountered in a park, on a train, or in a deserted area, and will seemingly come up to an individual or a group of people in the guise of asking for directions. When a conversation starts, Akusara will then perform an impressive acrobatic stunt, challenging the person to do the same. After the encounter, Akusara will vanish without a trace, only leaving behind a deadly curse on the unfortunate soul who witnessed her performance.
Taro and Hana the anatomy models
The animated anatomy models Taro and Hana were more friendly than antagonistic when they featured in Dandadan Season 1. Characterised as a pair of star-crossed lovers, Momo and Okarun encountered Taro while he was furiously running through the city in search of Hana, who was thrown away in the trash due to her being an older model.
The living anatomical model is a staple urban legend in various Japanese schools, and would generally tell of eerie encounters with the model moving about at night in hallways or science laboratories, mischievously pranking or scaring any student who decides to stay later than expected.
The mountain yokai/Evil Eye
Although the yokai haunting Jin Enjoji (Jiji) was barely touched upon in the last few episodes of Dandadan Season 1, its existence will mark a major occurrence in the upcoming Season 2. Don’t worry, we’re not going to spoil anything from the manga, but we can explore just what this yokai is in real life!
Formally introduced through the various Season 2 trailers as Evil Eye, the yokai takes from the folkloric belief that a malevolent gaze is able to cause harm or misfortune to those unfortunate enough to receive it. This belief is prevalent in many cultures around the world, and is deeply rooted in spiritualism. Inversely, other cultures believe that the Evil Eye is a supernatural force that reflects the malevolent gaze from those who cast it, acting as a barrier from manifested misfortune.
