Summary
- Momo Ayase's upbringing shapes her no-nonsense personality and intolerance towards bullying, leading to life-changing adventures.
- After meeting Okarun, Momo develops psychic powers, deepens her bond with her grandmother, and explores romance.
- Momo's courage, wisdom, and heroism in supernatural conflicts showcase her as an inspiring and memorable character.
Yukinobu Tatsu's magnum opus, Dandadan, introduces readers to a rich and imaginative world of aliens and spirits that beautifully blends horror, romance, comedy, and science-fiction elements to recount a spellbinding story. While at its heart, the tale explores cryptid myths and alien conspiracy theories, it also captures the evolution of its quirky characters, who add humor, personal adversities, triumphs, and intrigue to the chaotic narrative. Among these characters, the eccentric heroine Momo Ayase emerges as a pivotal figure whose actions and decisions deeply influence the story.
Momo not only exudes confidence and courage in the face of trying adversities, displaying an unwavering allegiance to the greater good, but her dynamic personality adds more drama, hilarity, and spice to the series. But what makes her stand out among the many quirky characters in the manga? In this article, we explore Momo Ayase's childhood, her relationship with her grandmother, and the dramatic influence Okarun has on her life.

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Momo's Childhood and Her Relationship with Her Grandmother
Seiko Ayase Shaped Momo Into a Strong Young Woman
While it is unclear what happened to her parents, Momo Ayase started living with her grandmother, Seiko, in the Ayase residence in Kamigoe City at a very young age. Being a spirit medium, Seiko taught her granddaughter daily rituals, presumably to ward off evil spirits. Around the same time, Momo developed a crush on her childhood friend, Jin Enjoji. Although she was reluctant, Seiko still pushed her to perform the rituals publicly, which eventually led to her bullying by her peers. Momo reached a breaking point when even Jin joined in with the bullies and made fun of her.
Heartbroken and humiliated, Momo had a falling out with Seiko, and she also started doubting her grandmother's credentials as a spirit medium. While the disagreement was fueled by the mockery she faced at the hands of her peers, deep down, Momo cared deeply about her grandmother. Eventually, she realized that she was more upset by people looking down on Seiko's daily rituals than her own bullying. The enlightening revelation then helped her mend her relationship with her grandmother as she grasped how much Seiko meant to her.

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As Momo grew, her relationship with Seiko continued to evolve. While she secretly respects her grandmother, Momo's daily conversations with Seiko are filled with friendly bickering, mockery, and insults that add warmth and humor to their unique bond. By the time Momo enrolls in high school, she has grown to become a strong, highly opinionated, and compassionate teenager who has no patience for bullies and troublemakers. It is Seiko's gentle guidance and freedom-loving nature that allows Momo's evolution and shapes her into the resilient young woman she becomes. Interestingly, her aversion to bullying and lack of respect for miscreants eventually guide her toward the person who changes her life forever.
Momo's Life After Meeting Okarun
Meeting Ken Takakura and Developing Feelings For Him Led to Momo's Maturation
As mentioned above, Seiko's upbringing played a pivotal role in shaping Momo's no-nonsense personality and intolerance towards bullying. It is this aversion to troublemakers that ended up changing her life. One day, when she noticed a boy her age getting picked on by his classmates, Momo did not hesitate to step in and make sure that he was safe. Her kind act led to her introduction to Ken Takakura, the occult fanatic who believed in outlandish alien conspiracy theories. Momo soon learned that Okarun did not believe in spirits, and she felt that his alien beliefs made no sense.
Momo and Ken's conflicting worldviews eventually led to a bet that sent the duo on a life-changing adventure that challenged their belief systems. As the duo realized that both aliens and spirits were real, they found themselves drawn toward each other as they explored the supernatural. Their friendship and companionship at its root were formed by Momo's brave and intolerant attitude towards bullying, which in turn was shaped by her childhood experiences. In another incident, Momo went out of her way to use her powers and drop a basin on another person who tried to manipulate Okarun for narcissistic reasons. These events also highlight her strong sense of justice and showcase that Momo is very considerate of people around her, even if she doesn't know them.

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After meeting Okarun, Momo awakens her dormant psychic powers while facing a crisis. She soon realizes that her grandmother's seemingly embarrassing rituals were not purposeless, and they did provide her protection from supernatural forces. This, in turn, further strengthens her bond with Seiko as she grasps how long her grandmother has been protecting her from supernatural threats without her knowledge. Crossing paths with Okarun not only expands Momo's supernatural worldview and helps her get closer to Seiko but it is also alluded that she starts developing romantic feelings that she has never experienced before.
Ken slowly becomes an indispensable part of her life, and in any crisis, the first person she thinks about is him. Momo's romantic feelings deepen as Okarun starts getting more attention from his peers, especially the girls. In several instances, she even has an emotional outburst, which reveals her possessive attitude towards Ken. However, Momo, in general, is an expressive high schooler who is not hesitant in voicing her thoughts and feelings. She wears her heart on her sleeves and openly shows her emotions, which adds more layers to her enchanting personality. Apart from being outgoing, expressive, and compassionate, Momo can sometimes also be short-tempered and easily irritable.
Despite being a typical teenager, Momo still displays incredible courage in the face of adversity. Ever since she crossed paths with Okarun, she finds herself getting unexpectedly dragged into supernatural conflicts. While some of these inconveniences are mundane, others can be intergalactic disputes, that put Earth in an existential crisis. Fighting militaristic and colonialist alien races comes at a big price, and putting one's life on the line is always on the cards. But even in such horrific circumstances, Momo regularly displays wisdom beyond her years and fights for the greater good voluntarily. Her heroism and valiance at such a young age make her an inspiring character who leaves a lasting impression.

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