What Is the Meaning of Dandadan? The Anime’s Title Explained

Created by Yukinobu Tatsu, the Dandadan manga debuted on Shonen Jump in 2021. After three years, its anime adaptation arrived in 2024 and captivated a huge fanbase with its perfect blend of sci-fi, horror, and humor. While the premise and the characters have always mesmerized fans, one thing about the series that has puzzled them is the title ‘Dandadan‘. Do you know it is connected with mythology? If not, stay with us as we unravel the mystery behind the unusual title of the new shonen sensation Dandadan.

What Is the Story of Dandadan?

Dandadan is an animanga series that revolves around Momo Ayase and Okarun, a ghost believer and an occult fanatic, respectively. While Momo is a vibrant person who can attract others towards her, Okarun is an introvert with a depressing persona.

However, despite being polar opposites, fate brings them together to make each other believe that the extraterrestrial forces they believe in actually exist. After encountering Turbo Granny, Okarun gets possessed by her and loses his Kintama (the golden balls). On the other hand, Momo is faced with aliens who wish to reproduce like humans. After making a fast escape, together, the duo now fights numerous aliens, ghosts, and whatnot, and eventually ends up falling for each other.

In the manga’s initial phase, Dandadan looked like a meaningless quirky title, but when we reached Chapter 163, we realized that it had a deeper meaning that no one noticed and really cared about.

The story’s antagonist, Count Saint-Germain, desires to collect every ancient artifact and stone that connects the human world to the paranormal. And he becomes the one who makes fans realize how crucial the word ‘Dandadan’ is.

Meaning of Dandadan: A Powerful Word That Commands

Dandadan is not just a quirky title. Instead, it is something beyond our imagination, as that’s what Chapter 163, titled ‘Saviors, Don’t Be Late!‘ revealed.

In the concluding panels of this Dandadan chapter, the Fairy-Tale Card agrees to lend his powers to Count Saint-Germain only if he helps him escape the Cursed Trunk. The villain asks the yokai to admit his defeat first, but it seems he has other plans in his evil mind.

As soon as the little yokai says, I lose, Count Saint-Germain pierces his blade into him and steals his powers. After that, he explains his desires to the powerless card. Saint-Germain mentions that as a collector of the paranormal, he wants to know every mystery related to the world. He further notes that he desires to have every enchanted object in his collection. Finally, he reveals his biggest agenda, which is nothing but the Dandadan.

”Are you familiar with Dandadan?” — Count Saint-Germain to Fairy Tale Card

Just after this, the final panels of the manga feature the Womb Realm mandala, hinting at the title’s mythological origins.

There are two sets of Mandalas in Buddhism, one of which is the Womb Realm Mandala. This form represents twelve halls that have an eight-petaled lotus, in the middle of which sits Mahavairocana Buddha. Surrounding him sit four Bodhisattvas and four Buddhas in the East, West, North, and South directions.

They visually represent the greater qualities of Mahavairocana Buddha. In Buddhism, this realm of the Mandala is used as a tool by the practitioner who seeks compassion and wisdom.

The manga hasn’t solved the mystery for us until now, but given the aforementioned connection to Buddhist mythology and fan theories, Dandadan is expected to be the ultimate power. No wonder, a mighty magic user like Count Saint-Germain desperately wants Dandadan to be his.

Some speculations suggest Dandadan to be a solid force that prevents the different realities from merging and stops yokais and other outworldly creatures from entering the human world. Several fans also state it to be a creature with extraordinary might, and that’s why Saint-Germain wants Dandadan so badly, so that he could steal its powers.

The Meaning of the Suffix “Dan”

There is no official confirmation on what “Dan,” which is repeated twice in the Dandadan manga/ anime title, actually means. However, in Japanese terminology, Kaidan means Ghost story in Japanese, Kidan means strange story. If that’s not all, taiken-dan in Japanese roughly means the “story of one’s experience.”

If you pay close attention, in all these words, “Dan” is used to define the word story. Since Dandadan is a ghost story that is strange in all aspects, the title could very well be a sneaky wordplay to signify all things weird with a mix of horror. 

How Does Dandadan’s Mythological Roots Connect to the Story?

Now that we have explained the meaning of the title, it is crucial to figure out how it connects to the story of the Dandadan animanga series. If Dandadan is a force that can help the characters walk the path of enlightenment, whoever gets hold of it will become the most knowledgeable and powerful in the entire world.

However, in that case, Momo and Okarun should be the ones to have it because if it goes to Saint-Germain or any other antagonist, the human world would be in danger. However, as the manga is still ongoing, we can expect to learn more details on the exact meaning of Dandadan in the final chapters.