Dandadan’s Hilarious Attack on Titan Parallel Spotted by Fans

Dandadan has been nothing short of a masterpiece since the series dropped on Netflix and Crunchyroll in October 2024, instantly becoming a favorite amid a loaded season of other exceptional series. The anime adaptation of Yukinobu Tatsu’s original manga has it all: high-octane shonen action, an adorable high school love story, surprisingly heartfelt moments, and perfect comedic timing. Since the story veers heavily into the paranormal, having the ability to break up intense moments with comedy is paramount.

Episode 9 of Dandadan, “Merge! Serpo Dover Demon Nessie!” proves just how great Science SARU has been handling the writing for the series, taking one of the manga’s most infamous moments and elevating it way beyond the source material. In the episode, after Okarun, Aira, and Momo finally take down the Serpos – and Okarun and Momo finally clear the air about the Aira situation – the trio are sent back to the real world. Unfortunately for them, they lost their clothes in the battle and, upon returning home, were almost completely nude. Other students obviously take notice, and as Momo and Okarun run away, Aira joins them.

While in any other show, this would have been rather unremarkable other than wrapping up a punchline, fans quickly noticed how Aira was running. The moment reminded fans of the show of another infamous moment from the anime adaptation of Attack on Titan, wherein a group of survivors hunker down, terrified, when a Titan crashes into the square, running in an anything but terrifying way.

[RELATED: Dandadan Readers Warned Us About Controversial Episode 9 (We Should Have Listened)]

The Iconic Running Titan Has a Way Of Making It Into (Almost) Every Major Anime

Made popular due to how tonally jarring the Titan was when he originally appeared in Attack on Titan, Dandadan isn’t the first anime to have this peculiar parallel noticed by fans. When Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead began airing in July 2023, fans noticed that in the show’s very first episode when Akira discovers a zombified version of his boss and Saori together, the former runs at him in the same way as the Titan icon. The viral run cycle meme didn’t originate from Attack on Titan, though, as any long-time or eagle-eyes anime fans have pointed out that this specific type of running is often associated with the age-old trope of an anime girl running late to school.

The trope was a staple in shoujo manga for decades before it started worming its way into other demographics. While the Titan and Aira’s version of the run don’t feature the “toast of tardiness,” their frantic arm movements certainly deliver the same energy seen in more traditional takes on the trope like K-On!, Sailor Moon, and even Evangelion.

H/T VishalSid on X, TV Tropes