Fans of Dandadan’s Momo Must Check Out This Underrated Gyaru Street Fighter Anime

Momo Ayase and Ran Kotobuki have something in common — they’re both gyaru!

March 8, 2025, 6:00pm

We all love Momo from Dandadan with her absolutely adorable and bold outfits that complement her absolutely adorable and bold personality. Along with her friends, Miko and Muko, flaunting their makeup collections at school, Momo isn’t afraid to assert her sense of style just as she asserts her sense of right over jerk boyfriends, bullies, and even paranormal thugs, putting the “war” in “wardrobe”. But what is it about her and her friends that has them so feisty and fashionable? They’re gyaru, of course!

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Gyaru as a concept somewhat crops up in anime, like Momo and her friends in Dandadan, but the subculture, like the fashion of Harajuku, deserves more prominence in media lest it eventually die out. From its origin in the ’90s to the “neo-gyaru” revival in the late 2010s, the fad has been coming and going in waves. Set in the bustling shopping district of Shibuya, Gals! gives a great story about a group of gyaru achieving fashionable feats and fighting in the streets.

Gals! Slays in Both Style and the Streets

Ran Kotobuki, a feisty and fashionable high school student, loves to keep up with the latest trends, buy designer clothes, apply makeup, get manicures, and avoid schoolwork. Proclaiming to be the “world’s greatest gal”, she has the reputation of being the most respected gyaru in Shibuya and intends to keep it that way. Coming from a family of cops, though rebellious herself, she still holds a strong sense of justice. While defending her turf on the streets of Shibuya, she’s joined by her friends Miyu Yamazaki and Aya Hoshino to be the most renowned gals ever.

Gals!, or Super GALS! for the English dub, was created in 2001 by studio Pierrot with 52 episodes spanning 2 seasons. The series was adapted from Mihona Fujii’s 1998 10-volume manga of the same name that was published by Shueisha. Though in a different vein to the magical girl genre, gyaru still had its own charm when it came to the girl power trope from the 90’s. Ran Kotobuki is a great example of a gyaru heroine who upholds the positive parts of the subculture with bold but righteous endeavors alongside a bold, unapologetic self-identity.

The Gyaru Style is Still Holding Strong in Anime

“Gyaru,” derived from the English spelling of “gal,” is a subculture mainly characterized by bold, heavy makeup, bleached or dyed hair, tan skin, and rebellious, trendy outfits that challenge societal norms and go against traditional Japanese beauty culture, like modest clothing and pale skin. It’s not just a fashion statement, but a statement about embracing a just as bold, unapologetic identity. Though gyaru sometimes have the stereotyped reputation of being narcissistic, boy-obsessed bullies, only some in the community may fit the stereotype, and gyaru as a whole are more so simply known for being blunt and honest. Like Momo and Ran who, though they may present themselves with brazen fashion and personalities, uphold integrity with blunt honesty.

Originally, the style was mainly associated with Japanese singer Namie Amuro, who embraced her Okinawan tan in opposition to the widely valued pale complexion, and her fans before the subculture took off in Shibuya. There are many styles within the subculture, even the masculine counterpart “gyaruo,” and “ganguro,” the sub-fashion emphasizing heavy tanning, as seen with Momo’s friend Muko. With Heisei Retro nostalgia becoming popular since 2020, gyaru girls have made a resurgence. The gyaru subculture has actually been slowly creeping back since the latter half of the 2010s, with “Heisei” gyaru falling off around 2019 and the younger “reiwa” gyaru emerging with the current “neo-gyaru” era; basically, the transition from old-school to new-school eras of the gyaru subculture.

All throughout the gyaru trends coming and going, the subculture remains well beloved even today. 2013 had Junko Enoshima in Danganronpa; 2016 had Mikoto Aiura in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.; 2018 had Naruko “Anaru” Anjou in Anohana; 2021 had Sakura in Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro; 2022 had Marin Kitagawa in My Dress-Up Darling!. From 2001’s Ran Kotobuki in Gals! to 2024 when Momo Ayase in Dandadan became the current most popular gyaru, the gyaru subculture lives on in anime.

Who do you deem to be the “world’s greatest gal”? Let us know in the comments who your favorite gyaru of all time is!