A girl who believes in ghosts, a boy who believes in aliens, and a bet that proves them both right on the same night.
Dandadan throws ghosts, aliens, a first crush and a lot of shouting into one show, and somehow every part of it works. Here are eight reasons it lands, one on each slide.
Reason 1 - The best bet in anime
Momo Ayase believes in ghosts and thinks aliens are nonsense. Okarun, a shy classmate, believes in aliens and thinks ghosts are nonsense. They dare each other to visit a haunted spot each.
Both of them turn out to be right, on the same night, and the show takes off from there.
Reason 2 - Momo, loud and kind
Momo is quick to fight, quick to laugh and quick to stand up for someone being picked on. She also has psychic powers she did not know she had.
She is the engine of the show, and it is hard not to like her within minutes of meeting her.
Reason 3 - Okarun, the nerd who gets cursed
Ken Takakura, called Okarun, is a quiet boy obsessed with the occult. A ghost puts a curse on him that turns him into something fast and very scary.
Watching a shy kid grow braver one fight at a time is a big part of the show's heart.
Reason 4 - Turbo Granny, a villain you cannot unsee
The first big ghost is Turbo Granny, an old woman spirit who runs faster than a car and steals something very personal from Okarun.
It is absurd, creepy and funny all at once, and it tells you exactly what kind of show you are watching.
Reason 5 - Grandma Seiko knows everything
Momo's grandmother, Seiko, is a spirit medium with a sharp tongue and no patience for nonsense, ghostly or human.
She is the one adult in the show who knows what is going on, and every scene with her is a treat.
Reason 6 - Science SARU makes it explode
Director Fuga Yamashiro and Science SARU animate the fights with wild colour, stretching bodies and a camera that never sits still.
When the action starts, the screen turns into something closer to a comic page come to life.
Reason 7 - An opening you will not skip
Creepy Nuts' “Otonoke” opens every episode, fast and catchy.
It comes matched to animation as strange as the show itself, and it is very hard to skip.
Reason 8 - A romance hiding in the chaos
Under the ghosts and aliens, Dandadan is about two kids who are lonely at school finding each other. Yukinobu Tatsu's manga never forgets that, and the anime keeps it front and centre.
The twelve episodes of the first season go by very fast.
Where to watch
DAN DA DAN was listed on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.
In the shop
DAN DA DAN in the Anime Guide · DAN DA DAN merchandise
Source: the Anime Crush Anime Guide.
