Dandadan Might Have Just Aired the Saddest Episode of the Year

Dandadan has continued to surprise fans with each new episode of the series released this Fall thus far, and that continues in a whole new direction as Episode 7 just might be the saddest episode that anime fans will watch this year. Dandadan has been leading the pack in terms of the blockbuster standouts of the Fall 2024 anime schedule overall, and it’s been with good reason as the team behind the series has been taking Yukinobu Tatsu’s already great manga to a new level through the adaptation. But even this level has been exceeded with the newest episode.

Following the first major arc of Dandadan in the first few episodes, the anime has been working through its next major story bringing in the next member of the core cast into the fold. Aira Shiratori was introduced with a lot of hate behind her from fans of the original Dandadan manga, and fans saw why with her first few episodes in the series. But it’s likely that’s all going to change as not only does Dandadan Episode 7 reveal a new side of Aira’s backstory, but the incredibly sad backstory for Acrobatic Silky as well.

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Dandadan Explores Acrobatic Silky’s Tragic Origin

While Acrobatic Silky seemed like just another ghost enemy that Momo Ayase and Okarun would need to deal with next, it’s immediately clear that she has a mind of her own much like Turbo Granny. And like Turbo Granny, Acrobatic Silky has a harsh story behind her own form as well. It’s revealed through a silent montage of scenes that Silky was just a human woman who once lived a rather sad and lonely life. She worked multiple jobs, and was even in the sex industry in order to pay off a mountain of death.

The one reprieve of this harsh life was her young daughter, and the two were happy despite how tough everything else about their lives were. Her daughter had to spend a lot of time alone so her mother could go out and work, and her mother could only provide the bare essentials even with all of that effort. But things turn when for her daughter’s birthday, she seemingly digs more into the money she owed. Buying a beautiful red dress for her daughter, some mysterious men attack the two and kidnap the daughter without a clear end in sight.

This sent Silky into a tail spin as she was bloodied and distraught. Heading out into the city in chase, she fails to catch up with her daughter as she’s taken away. With this being the last bastion of her happiness, the mother then takes her own life and soon emerges as a ghost with left behind business. And on a chance meeting with a young Aira (who’s able to see her), she’s then convinced that Aira is the daughter she lost and morphs into Acrobatic Silky with all of the rage and sorrow she had upon her death.

How Tragedy Changes How We See Aira

But while Acrobatic Silky’s backstory is incredibly heartbreaking, it’s not the ultimate reason why Dandadan Episode 7 is as sad as it is. The real heartbreak comes soon after as Aira is revealed to have experienced a tragic event in her past as well. She lost her mother at a very young age, and didn’t quite understand the depth of the loss just yet. When she mistook Silky for her mother, it tied the two together in such a way that it eventually twisted Silky into the ghostly threat that she was.

She was so blinded by that rage and heartbreak that she outright killed Aira, and only after fully realized that she killed the “daughter” that she was trying to love and protect. With Aira dead, Silky then offers her own spiritual power to revive Aira. Upon Silky’s moving on, Aira then hugs her one more time in the hopes that this is what settles her enough to then pass on to the great beyond. It’s a heartbreaking moment for both of these new characters as fans see how bound they are by their respective tragedies.

Aira was a hated character upon her debut due to how much she was faking her personality in front of others, and was a much more crass person in reality. But this episode is likely going to change things just as how it’s changed Aira. It’s a tearful episode that’s going to once again change the trajectory of the story, and this is really only the first of these big examples. Dandadan has a lot of these tragic backstories that fans will be witness to in the coming episodes, seasons, and years, and the successful adaptation of this first one teases that fans can expect even worse heartbreak in the future. It’s bittersweet, but it’s a reason to look forward to what’s next for sure.