Top 10 Dan Da Dan Fights and Moments

#10: Battle Against the Composers

Don’t you just hate it when what’s supposed to be a training session turns into a fight for survival against some of history’s greatest classical composers? Transported to a concert hall by the rather aggressive spirits of Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and other legendary musicians, both Okarun and Aira find themselves tackling everything from giant opera singers to a swarm of screaming attendees. Bathed in black and white while various movements from Beethoven’s Symphonies play in the background, this was a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

#9: Escaping the Giant Crab

She may be a cutesy source of comedy these days, but it's best not to forget that when she was first introduced, Turbo Granny was a menace. In order to break the curse and free Okarun of his possession, the duo challenge the supersonic spirit to a race…which somehow results in them fleeing from the spirit of a giant crab. We’re not sure what’s more amazing here; seeing Momo outwit the phantom grandma and her crustacean, or Okarun sprinting along to an anime-original version of the iconic William Tell overture! Anyone else exhausted from just watching?

#8: Fighting Nessie

An underwater showdown in a haunted school against an alien version of the Loch Ness Monster, an unemployed Mantis Shrimp, and the return of the Serponians. There’s a lot to unpack here. It’s one of the show’s craziest battles, what with the intergalactic Nessie blasting out super-compressed water, thus forcing Okarun and Momo to combine their new fantastical talents in the most unorthodox of waves, aka turning Okarun into a speedboat. We also see Aira make her debut as a combatant thanks to the manifestation of her Acro-Silky form. Oh, and the whole thing concludes with them lying soaked and nude in the school corridor, fully in view of everyone. Ooof.

#7: Jennifer Lopez Anaconda

The Kito Family are the neighbours from hell. Unnerving, violent gaslighters, who also happen to be cryptids in disguise, and aren’t afraid of throwing down. When Momo arrives to save Jiji and Okarun from becoming sacrifices, she has to contend with the family’s matriarch, who aside from being the queen of trash talking also apparently studied martial arts, given that she’s able to unleash crazy acrobatics and hard hitting strikes…including this little number modelled after Jennifer Lopez’s most iconic movie role. Don’t deny it.

#6: Holding Hands

Despite being an action-comedy that deals with phantasmic and cosmic threats, along with a central plot point being the recovering of the main character’s gonads, Dandadan has unequivocally one of the best romances we’ve seen in the modern anime scene. Just look at this! Have you ever seen anything so pure? Following their ordeal with Evil Eye, the giant serpent and the rest, Momo takes a moment to convey her rapidly developing feelings with the lewdest of gestures - holding hands! Egads! Honestly, the day these two confess is the day the internet breaks.

#5: Capturing Evil Eye

There have been many badass anime grannies over the years, but none quite have matched the sexiness and general aura of Seiko. Who else do you know arrives into battle with a baseball bat, riding a living mannequin, while slowly descending from a UFO’s tractor beam. Leave it to Seiko to steal the spotlight every chance she gets. Coming in at the last minute to save the day, she’s able to take on the seemingly unbeatable Evil Eye thanks to a combination of wild swings, and using the much maligned anatomical model Taro to act as a walking prison. Granny knows how to get shit done.

#4: Exorcism Song

Need to remove a particularly nasty spirit? Regular incantations and rituals not doing it for you? Then you’re in luck, because HAYASii has got you covered. Turns out the sheer magnetic force of their metal is so potent that it can act as a catalyst for an exorcism, hence why they’re called in to help remove Evil Eye from Jiji’s body. They didn’t have to go this hard on the music, but they did, and it's incredible, in both the sub and dub, going as far to get actual heavy hitters in the industry to bring the song to life. Evil Eye may not have been purified, but we appreciate the performance all the same. They had better come back for an encore!

#3: Okarun vs. Evil Eye - Round One

What happens when you combine a malicious ghost utterly corrupted by pain, and the earnest nature of someone like Jiji. Unfortunately for everyone, a lethal partnership. Taking over Jiji’s body for himself, the murderous yet naive Evil Eye sets out to slaughter humanity. Too bad he made the fatal mistake of striking Momo, because now he’s got Okarun to deal with. While he’s ultimately able to come out on top, Okarun is well and truly put through his paces, given that Evil Eye is stronger, faster, and has a nasty habit of locking his victims inside his own personal house of horror.

#2: Mecha vs Kaiju

Just when you thought Dandadan couldn’t possibly tackle anymore tropes and genres, along comes a kaiju. After being set upon by the overblown space dino, not even Okarun, Momo and Airu’s combined supernatural talents are enough to do any real damage. So what do they do? They use the alien building blocks they make up their house, and make a god damn mecha. Of sorts. Thanks to the Gundam obsessed Kinta, along with a pinch of shrine-influence, the crew creates a colossal Buddha. The ensuing clash is an otaku fever dream we can’t help but adore.

#1: Okarun vs Evil Eye - Round Two

Look at how far our boy has come. Started off as an alien obsessed nerd, and now…he’s still an alien obsessed nerd, but now he can throw some serious feet. Following his ordeal against the composers, Okarun returns ready to lay the smackdown on Evil Eye. Thanks to his new sense of rhythm, he’s able to outmanoeuvre, outrun, and outlast the possessed blitz-ball fiend, finally quelling his bloodlust in one hell of a fight scene. The amount of main character energy here is insane.

Which of these moments made you a Dandadan fan for life? Let us know in the comments!