Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan is making waves right now, as the series is getting a lot of attention from fans of both the anime and manga communities. Dandadan manga came out in 2021, but it only started to grow when it got an anime series produced by Science SARU. And one of the main aspects that factored in the growth of Dandadan was its ability to break Shonen tropes.
Dandadan is a unique narrative that merges the occult and paranormal elements together through the perspective of Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura. The story shows the two developing romantic feelings toward each other as they battle their way through the world of spirits and aliens with the help of new abilities they gained at the beginning of the narrative.
Fans might not have noticed this as of yet, but Momo Ayase, one of the protagonists of Dandadan, was not powerful enough when the series started. Ideally, if Tatsu had followed the Shonen stereotype, he would have sidelined Momo and solely focused on Okarun (Ken) for important situations. But breaking this trope of the Shonen genre is what led to the success of Dandadan.
Momo Ayase’s Growth in Dandadan
Although Momo has now become quite a powerful character in Dandadan manga, her journey started with a rough patch. While she knew about her psychic and telekinesis abilities, she could not use them to their full extent. She took a long time in trying to perfect these powers and use them in the battles and fights she and Okarun usually ended up in.
Not only that, in the beginning, she was only able to unlock her full potential for a short time, and it got sealed away instantly. She trained a lot but still has a lot more power hidden inside her, which will eventually be released as she moves forward in the narrative. As of now, she mostly uses her power to keep Okarun from being completely possessed by Turbo Granny.
Momo’s character development has been one of the best, but it has added other aspects to the series as well. The first and foremost is the humorous element that is usually formed after her inability to use her power in the best way possible. Secondly, her growth acts as a thrilling aspect that excites fans and keeps them attached to Dandadan.
Dandadan Broke a Major Anime Trope
The Shonen genre contains so many powerful main characters that it usually sidelines the weaker characters until they train hard and become significant to the story. This trope is broken by Dandadan with the help of Momo Ayase’s character. She has been a weak character for the longest time but is still considered to be a protagonist in the series.
Tatsu has been portraying Momo in the central narrative since the beginning of the series, and her weakness has never become a factor in her being pushed to the side. Instead, he has used it as a form of humor to make the narrative even more interesting and funny for the fans.
Dandadan breaking major Shonen tropes that have never been done before and most likely won’t be followed in the future is one of the reasons why the series has become such a massive success. And it will only go on to get even bigger as the narrative moves forward.
Dandadan is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
