5 Years Later, One of Anime’s Biggest Mysteries Has Officially Been Solved

Published Nov 10, 2026, 11:51 AM EST Okarun's backstory is Dandadan's saddest and best chapter Dandadan finally reveals Okarun’s brutal backstory Image: Science Saru/Crunchyroll It's hard to explain briefly why Dandadan is one of the best manga and anime that have come out in the past five years. The series' eclectic nature and mix of genres means it escapes easy categorization. "The author is a genius" and "the anime adaptation is fantastic" could be reductive when recommending it to someone. Luckily, chapter 252 of the Dandadan manga, published on Nov. 9, 2026, does a much better job of explaining why this series is a masterpiece. One of Dandadan's oddities is that, until now, author Yukinobu Tatsu has refrained from showing his readers anything about the background and past of one of his two protagonists: the sweet, spectacled, alien-obsessed Ken Takakura, nicknamed Okarun. This did not hurt the series nor Okarun's characterization, which was developed through his interactions with the rest of the cast, especially co-protagonist Momo Ayase. Now, we finally know that Tatsu had a long-term vision for this character — and it's a brutal one. This article contains mentions of suicide and bullying. Dandadan chapter 252 could be the best in the series Image: Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA, DANDADAN Production Committee Spoilers for Dandadan beyond the anime follow.In the current Dandadan arc, Okarun has lost his supernatural powers after fulfilling his pact with Turbo Granny. The foul-mouthed yokai has disappeared, and Okarun was left without means to defend himself when new enemies attacked him, Momo, Aira, and Jiji during a trip to a theme park. Okarun had to rely on the Ogre Club, a mystical weapon provided by Momo's grandma, Seiko, but it turns out that the tool has unpleasant side effects. Okarun lost himself to rage and attacked friends and foes indiscriminately, until Turbo Granny made her triumphant return. In chapter 252, "Ken Takakura," the spirit enters Okarun's mind to bring him back to reason, and in the process, she witnesses the boy's traumatic past. Ken Takakura's parents split up after his mom found a new partner. She asked little Ken if he wanted to go with her, but he decided to stay with his dad. In a gut-wrenching sequence, Okarun remembers realizing his mom was actually relieved he didn't follow her, since he could have spoiled her fancy new life. Things kept getting worse for young Ken from that moment onwards. He was beaten up by other kids, bullied, and sexually humiliated. Meanwhile, his father was crushed by debt and experienced angry outbursts, leaving poor Ken a lonely, traumatized child. Image: Shueisha/Yukinobu Tatsu One day, as he was running away from some bullies, Ken found an occult magazine that became his lifeline. He hoped and prayed every day that aliens would one day show up to "save his heart." They didn't. Okarun kept getting bullied as he grew up, until he couldn't take it anymore. In another chilling sequence, Ken is shown on top of a building, ready to jump off. However, thinking about distant, happy memories with his family made him lose courage (or rather, he found the courage to live), and he broke down crying. Image: Shueisha/Yukinobu Tatsu After that suicide attempt, Ken kept getting abused at school. In the present, the influence of the Ogre Club mixes his memories with nefarious thoughts of murder. However, a voice (likely Turbo Granny) tells him that he has forgotten something: His prayers were answered. Someone did show up. The chapter ends with a panel of Momo sitting in front of Okarun's desk, shielding him from the bullies, a callback to the manga's first chapter. Dandadan's long-term storytelling recontextualizes everything At the beginning of Dandadan, in the much-discussed scene where Momo and Okarun are held by the Serpoian aliens, the boy said that, as he didn't have any friends, he looked up to the skies every day hoping that the aliens would show up. But they never did. Instead, Momo stood up for him. At that moment, this motivated Okarun to fully transform into Turbo Granny, breaking the Serpoians' bonds. It was a pretty traditional setup for a story that mixes romance and action, and it was hard to predict that the author would wait five more years before revealing the true depths of his protagonist's trauma. Choosing to withhold his main character's backstory that long is a bold move for Tatsu, proving that he has confidence in his storytelling and character work. It also recontextualizes the current arc, which saw Momo lose her recent memories, including those of Okarun, which left Ken struggling to remind her of the bond they shared. Now, fans know that Momo isn't just Okarun's first crush or the girl who stood up for him at school. She's literally the person who saved his life. Bullying, abuse, and suicide are difficult themes that are often present in manga and anime, but they're not always treated with the sensitivity required. Dandadan's long-term storytelling set up a big reveal about Okarun's traumatic past, but Tatsu has already shown that, despite his talent for action and comedy, he's not afraid to touch on other, more difficult themes. Vamola's backstory was, until now, one of the best and most traumatic parts of the manga (and one that I can't wait to see adapted in the anime). Okarun's backstory hits those same powerful emotional notes that make Dandadan a masterpiece and his author one of the best mangaka currently active.