Dan Da Dan opens with a teenager arguing about whether aliens or ghosts are real, a possessing spirit that steals someone’s genitals, and a chase sequence through a haunted house. By the end of the first episode, it has also managed to be genuinely romantic and set up a central character dynamic that carries the entire series.
This is the register Dan Da Dan operates in: completely chaotic on the surface, surprisingly earnest underneath. It’s one of the most energetic anime of the last two years and one of the hardest to summarize without underselling it.
What Is Dan Da Dan?
Dan Da Dan began as a manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, serialized in Shonen Jump+ (Weekly Shonen Jump’s digital platform) since April 2021 and ongoing. The anime adaptation was produced by Science SARU — the studio founded by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi, known for Inu-Oh, The Tatami Galaxy, and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! — and premiered October 3, 2024.
The story follows two high school students who meet and immediately disagree about the supernatural. Momo Ayase comes from a family of spirit mediums and believes firmly in ghosts but dismisses alien theories as nonsense. Ken Takakura (nicknamed “Okarun”) is an avid UFO believer who considers ghost stories childish superstition. Each challenges the other to prove their belief, and both immediately encounter definitive proof that the other is right.
What follows is a supernatural action-romance that treats its absurd premise with complete sincerity. The aliens are real. The ghosts are real. And Momo and Okarun, thrown together by accident and bound together by a series of increasingly dangerous encounters with both, are also, very slowly and very genuinely, falling for each other.
What Makes It Special
Science SARU’s animation is the most immediately obvious answer. Dan Da Dan is visually unlike almost anything else on television — a kinetic, fluid, deliberately unhinged style that suits the source material perfectly. Action sequences are staged with a creativity that makes them feel genuinely surprising even by anime standards. Specific cuts have circulated widely as examples of exceptional sakuga — a community term for animation of unusual quality and artistry.
But the animation serves a story that earns it. The central relationship between Momo and Okarun is developed with patience and care across both seasons. They’re not immediately romantic in the traditional sense — the series is smart about building real fondness and trust before it lets the romance become explicit. When it does, it lands because the show has put in the work.
The supernatural elements are also genuinely creative. The ghosts and aliens in Dan Da Dan draw on Japanese folklore and paranormal mythology in ways that are specific and strange rather than generic. The Turbo Granny, who becomes a recurring presence early in the series, is based on an actual Japanese urban legend and treated with the kind of gonzo commitment that makes her deeply memorable.
Main Characters
Momo Ayase — Confident, athletic, and socially capable in ways that Okarun is not. She’s a second-generation spirit medium whose psychic abilities grow significantly across the series. Her protective instinct toward Okarun is one of the show’s most consistent and endearing threads.
Ken Takakura / Okarun — Bookish, socially awkward, and deeply nerdy about UFOs. When he makes contact with an alien entity early in Season 1, he gains the ability to channel supernatural power through an extraterrestrial suit — a transformation that makes him legitimately dangerous while he’s in it and extremely relieved to be out of it afterward.
Turbo Granny — A ghost who possesses Okarun’s lower body after stealing something precious from him, and becomes an unlikely recurring character. Her voice performance — all wheezing cackle and unpredictable menace — is a consistent highlight of the dub and sub alike.
Jiji — Okarun’s friend who becomes increasingly entangled in the supernatural situations surrounding the main duo. His own arc develops more significantly in Season 2.
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Season 1 Recap (2024)
Season 1 ran for 12 episodes from October 3 to December 26, 2024, streaming on Netflix globally with a simultaneous English dub. It introduced the central dynamic, established the show’s supernatural world-building, and concluded with a battle sequence that became one of the most-discussed moments in anime that year.
The season was structured around a series of discrete supernatural encounters that function almost as self-contained arcs while building toward a larger threat. Each new entity the characters face tests the Momo-Okarun partnership in a different way and reveals something new about both of them. The pacing is fast — a full seasonal arc is compressed into a single episode in ways that might feel rushed in a lesser production, but the energy is so relentless that it works.
Season 2 (2025)
Season 2 aired in 2025 and expanded the cast and world significantly. New supernatural threats, further development of Momo and Okarun’s relationship, and deeper exploration of the alien mythology established in Season 1 all feature prominently. The production quality from Science SARU remained consistent — no sophomore slump in the animation department.
Season 2 also pushed several secondary characters forward in ways that paid off the investment made in them during Season 1. The balance between comedy, horror-adjacent supernatural action, and genuine emotional beats became even more confident.
Season 3 — What We Know
A Season 3 of Dan Da Dan has been confirmed. No premiere date has been announced as of May 2026. The manga continues serialization in Shonen Jump+ and has ample material remaining.
Given the series’ reception — strong ratings, significant Netflix investment, and widespread recognition at anime awards ceremonies — a Season 3 continuation was widely expected. The confirmation means the story will continue; the timeline is simply not yet public.
Where to Watch
Netflix — Both seasons available globally, subtitled and dubbed in English. Netflix produced and streamed the series as part of its anime expansion.
The English dub is notably strong — Turbo Granny in particular benefits enormously from the English voice performance. Both versions are worth experiencing.
Final Verdict
Dan Da Dan is the most fun anime in recent memory. It’s loud, fast, ridiculous, and frequently gorgeous — Science SARU treating the material with the same animation ambition they bring to projects half as chaotic. Underneath the noise, there’s a romance that earns its emotional moments precisely because the show doesn’t rush them.
If you want something that will make you laugh, occasionally make you jump, and end with you genuinely invested in whether two very different people end up together: this is the show. Start with Episode 1. You’ll know within twenty minutes whether it’s for you — and if it is, you’ll be through both seasons before you notice.
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