Dandadan: Okarun's Turbo Granny Form, Explained

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Summary

The Yokai and aliens grant unique powers to the main characters, contradicting their initial beliefs.
Okarun's Turbo Granny curse gives him immense speed and strength, but comes with a major limitation.
Turbo Granny has unexpected depth, showing both compassion and deception, setting up conflicts in the anime.

Dandandan is a shounen anime about two teenagers, Takakura Ken, also known as Okarun, and Momo Ayase, who, after spending so much time believing in aliens and ghosts, discover that their world is loaded with them. These two unlikely friends bonded over their curiosity for the bizarre and unreal, discussing their contrary beliefs and disbelief in each other's hobbies of extraterrestrial life and ghosts. Soon after their first encounter, they run into two of the most popular UAT and ghost-haunting sightings in their area, where both suddenly get special abilities. After Takakura Ken’s first encounter with the Yokai Turbo Granny, she curses him.

The affliction of Turbo Granny’s curse is the definite factor that progresses the plot of the rest of the anime. In a harmless competition of ideals between the two main protagonists, they each get powers contradicting their initial unwavering beliefs. Momo gains special psychic powers from aliens who kidnapped her, while Ken gains access to superhuman speed from his affliction from the Turbo Granny. While being an initial source of inconvenience and danger to the protagonists because of Ken’s lack of control, it becomes a significant power source as he interacts with the Yokai and the aliens he discovers.

Dandadan: The Yokai, Explained

The Yokai serve as both plot devices and thematic symbols, enriching the series' exploration of cultural heritage through a contemporary lens.

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The following contains spoilers from the first arc of the series.

The Collision Of The Supernatural And The Ordinary

Turbo Granny’s First Encounter

After Takakura Ken and Momo Ayase first acquainted themselves through their discussion of the occult and space, they dared each other to go to the most popular sightings of Yokai and UATs around where they lived. After getting to their respective areas for their test of courage, they both encounter things they did not believe existed. Momo Ayase soon discovers some male humanoid-robot hybrid aliens that abduct her, and Takakura Ken discovers the malevolent 100km/hr Turbo Granny that curses him. This surprise encounter with the bizarre puts both protagonists in danger from beings they did not yet understand.

Okarun was dared to go to a tunnel fabled to have the Turbo Granny inside. Upon reaching there, he soon discovers that the legends about her are true and gets cursed by her. Meanwhile, Momo Ayase was concurrently dealing with aliens called Serpo, who wanted to use her body in a quest to gain human genitals. Through an unbelievable turn of events, Okarun teleports to the spaceship where Momo is held and helps her out. Okarun, through sheer willpower and luck, manages to use Turbo Granny’s abilities to help Momo escape from the spaceship, setting the tone for how Okarun’s power would be used for the rest of the anime.

The Turbo Granny Transformation

How It Works

Okarun-in-Powered-Up-Turbo-Granny-Form-in-Dandadan

The full extent of the Turbo Granny curse’s power is not yet fully understood, but it is immensely powerful and capable of beating the Evil Eye Yokai, a mountain class Yokai, which is the strongest classification of Yokai. Okarun now possesses Turbo Granny’s abilities as a borrowed power after only her consciousness was sealed out of Okarun, with her powers still residing within him. This arrangement grants Okarun immense speed, much greater durability, and a remarkable bite force with his teeth while using this form. This arrangement is limited, as Okarun forcefully changes back after going all out with his 100km/h speed two times.

Okarun’s array of strong powers makes him a sort of burst tank capable of holding off aliens and Yokai, as well as dealing a significant amount of explosive damage with his speed. Many of Okarun and Momo’s adventures fighting aliens in the world of Dandadan involve him testing the limits of his transformation and getting stronger through training. The Turbo Granny form bestowed unto him serves as a final resort of situational transformation, rather than a constant one, as Okarun needs to carefully utilize his powers so he isn’t left helpless against the Yokai and aliens he faces.

The Glaring Setback of The Turbo Granny Curse

A Power That Needs To Used Smartly

The Turbo Granny curse grants Okarun powers, allowing him to tackle even the most powerful threats on the Yokai and alien forefront. During his transformation, he transcends the limits of his humanity, being multiple times faster and more durable than the average human, but it comes at a cost. The transformation causes him to tire out very quickly, and soon after discovering his powers, he learns that he can only go at his top speed twice before becoming completely immobile and essentially a sitting duck. This weakness makes it so he is very reliant on the support that Momo Ayase provides for him.

The weakness serves as motivation for Okarun to be a very intelligent combatant since he knows that his ability is essentially a coin flip. Through Okarun’s reliance on Momo to overcome the multitude of threats that they constantly face, he figures out the extent of his powers and learns to utilize himself in a risk-averse way so as not to put himself or Momo in danger. Okarun’s ability to manage dangerous situations and his risk assessment are what make him a fan favorite Shounen protagonist, and his adventures worth watching.

Why The Blend of Supernatural and Sci-Fi in Dandadan Works

Dandadan blends supernatural and sci-fi elements seamlessly, creating an unpredictable yet cohesive narrative filled with dynamic twists.

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Consequences Beyond The Arc: Setting The Stage For Future Conflict

Turbo Granny, An Unlikely Source Of Power And Just Another Person

The Malevolent Turbo Granny was the first Yokai to show a tragic past and unexpected motifs that showcased her as something not inherently evil like most Yokai are assumed to be, but someone who was also human. Turbo Granny, although shown to have a dishonest and negative side, which fans see when she warps and twists the rules of her game with Okarun, also has a compassionate side. Around the conclusion of her tumultuous arc, it was revealed that she had compassion for young girls and often sought out their dead spirits to comfort them. This personality trait revealed itself to be the reason why she teamed up with the Yokai Earthbound Spirit Crab.

The conclusion of the Turbo Granny Arc set the pace for the anime, giving fans an insight into the sort of trials and setbacks that Okarun would face from his limited but powerful cursed transformation. Beyond this transformation, the anime tells deeper stories of Yokai, who have different goals and motivations for their actions through their inevitable battles with Okarun due to their aggressive nature. The Turbo Granny Transformation is a source of power that excellently accentuates Okarun’s chivalrous and idealistic personality through a flashy design and a supernatural set of abilities.

Dandadan will premiere on October 4, 2024, and will be streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.