Dandadan Debuts With a Major Change From the Manga

Dandadan has finally arrived and in its first two episodes by studio Science SARU, the story of Okarun and Momo has proven itself as one of the biggest new anime arrivals of 2024. For the most part, the anime adaptation has stuck closely to its source material, as the original Shonen Jump manga by creator Yukinobu Tatsu has been a big part of the anime series. However, keen-eyed fans who experienced the manga and the television series noticed that a big change was made to episode one. Said change might come as a shock considering it is quite political.

For those who have yet to truly experience Dandadan, the series has become a hot ticket item for streaming services. It might come as no surprise that Crunchyroll took no time to bring Momo and Okarun’s supernatural story to its platform but anime fans might be surprised that both Netflix and Hulu also were more than willing to open the door for Dandadan. On top of presenting a hilarious story that focuses on Momo and Okarun receiving powers from the extraterrestrial and the supernatural, Tatsu’s story is fit to burst with energetic action scenes. Luckily, Science SARU “got the assignment” and has managed to perfectly translate the world-shattering battles to the screen.

Barack Obama Wasn’t President in Dadadan‘s Anime

In Dandadan’s first manga chapter, Yukinobu Tatsu had Okarun holding up his “UFO” magazine to highlight some of the biggest conspiracies that he was into. Not only does the manga feature former President Barack Obama, but it even names him in said magazine to make sure that readers know who he was. In the anime adaptation, Obama is replaced with a stand-in politician as Okarun tries to spread the “good word” on UAPs to his new friend Momo. Ironically, replacing Obama is the only major change that was made to the bizarre fictional publication.

Politics In Anime

Anime has not kept itself completely isolated from US politics in recent years, even if you don’t count Dandadan. For example, the hard-hitting series Baki The Grappler would routinely see the United States needing to bargain with Baki’s powerhouse father, Yujiro Hanma. Thanks to this fact, the series would feature “The Ogre” having one-on-one conversations with the likes of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton. In the fighting manga, these politicians would receive different names than their real-world counterparts.

One of the biggest examples of anime crossing over into the world of American politics was thanks to Death Note. While the original story of Light Yagami ended years ago, the recently released sequel manga saw a new recipient of the cursed notebook. Following Light’s death, new protagonist Minoru Tanaka strikes a bargain with the Shinigami Ryuk and simply wants the Death Note for financial gain. In looking to sell the notebook to countries, manga readers witness Donald Trump himself having a face-to-face with Ryuk and realizing that he might have gotten more than he bargained for.

For the most part, Dandadan has still stayed true to its source material outside of this political switch. Reportedly, the first season will house around twelve episodes, meaning that manga readers will have a good idea of the events taking place in the anime’s opening salvo. Regardless, Science SARU has a hit on their hands and considering how many manga chapters have been produced, Dandadan might look forward to several anime seasons in the future.

Want to see what the future holds for Momo and Okarun? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Dandadan and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.