The much-awaited anime adaptation of the popular Shonen manga Dandadan is finally here, and without a doubt, it has grabbed a lot of attention and praise – thanks to the adorable main protagonists, the humor, and the over-the-top animation quality. The male protagonist of the series, Ken Takakura, aka. Okarun seems to be a normal high-schooler initially, but as the story proceeds forward, we learn several things about the boy that make him stand out in the crowd.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for the Dandadan animanga series by Yukinobu Tatsu.
Meet Dandadan’s Okarun
Okarun aka Ken Takakura is an introvert who doesn’t have any friends. Like our other major protagonist Momo Ayase, Okarun is a first-year high school student. So, for those wondering about his age, Okarun is likely 15 or 16 years old in Dandadan.
The boy has been bullied a lot by his classmates, and he has developed a self-esteem issue. He starts believing that he isn’t capable of anything and that he doesn’t deserve anything good. His loneliness pushes him to try strange things, such as establishing a connection with aliens to befriend them.
Moreover, he is an unselfish person who would do anything to lend a helping hand to someone in trouble. Despite being a kid with a heart of gold, Okarun often finds himself looked down on by others due to his nerdy personality. Before knowing him, Momo Ayase also does the same thing; she ridicules him for being obsessed with science and aliens.
The Origins of Okarun’s Powers Are Unconventional
Okarun never believed in ghosts, as he was wholly obsessed with aliens; Momo was entirely the opposite. She believed in ghosts and not in the outer planet species. So, the duo decides to go to abandoned places to prove each other wrong. While Momo roams around searching for UFOs in their hideout, Okarun encounters a yokai in the form of the Turbo Granny, who possessed the boy. Although Momo and his grandmother Seiko somehow save Okarun by extracting the yokai from his body, they can’t protect his Kintama aka his testicles.
The Turbo Granny’s powers remained inside Okarun’s body, making the boy immensely powerful. Initially, he faces several challenges keeping hold of the powers, as each time he transforms, he needs Momo to help him regain control of his body. Eventually, Okarun learns to transform as he wishes. However, with this new transformation, his entire personality changes. His clothes change, his hands become muscular, his hair changes from black to white, and above all, he gets depressed.
The Turbo Granny transformation allows him to run superhumanly and overwhelm the most challenging opponents with his instantaneous reflexes. For instance, Okarun’s speed gives him an upper hand in the fight against the Evil Eye, who is considered not an easy-to-handle enemy.
Besides that, Okarun’s swift reflexes also give him the advantage of pummeling the opponent with back-to-back attacks without giving them a chance to counterattack.
The Turbo Granny transformation also enhances his durability, enabling him to withstand even the heavy attacks of the Evil Eye. The poor boy also gains the ability to travel through telephone wires to different locations.
Okarun’s Accidental Experience with Astral Projection
Keeping aside the abilities he receives from the Turbo Granny, it’s worth mentioning that Okarun can separate his soul from the body. However, the Astral Projection technique came to him accidentally.
There is a chance that the boy’s strong spiritual powers enable him to receive the gift. So, he can leave his body and become invisible to the people for some time. However, he can only use this ability briefly, as the longer he stays out of his body, the thinner the cord connecting his body with his soul gets. Once the cord gets cut, he can never return to the world of living.
Okarun Isn’t Invincible in Dandadan: Weaknesses Explained
The superhuman speed and durability indeed give Okarun a massive advantage in fights, but only if it is used within its limit. Once the ability reaches its limit, Okarun will be weak for a significant amount of time. The boy can’t even take a further step before regaining the ability. Besides that, the Turbo Granny doesn’t have the ability to swim, so Okarun can’t compete with an opponent in water.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about Okarun from Dandadan right now. We will update this post with more information as new episodes are released, so stay tuned.
