Summary
Yukinobu Tatsus' unique knack for amalgamating the paranormal and extraterrestrial to recount captivating stories truly shines throughin his magnum opus,Dandadan. The series blends horror and humourwhile delivering action-packedand otherworldly tales of two teenagers exploring the supernatural.
In episode 2, titled “That’s a Space Alien, Ain’t It?!“Dandadanintroduces the Flatwood Monster, an alien working on the command of its superior, the Serpo Aliens. At first, the towering creature may appear to be a figment of Yukinobu’s rich and extraordinary imagination. But it turns out that ittakes inspiration from an infamous alien encounterreported back in the early 1950s. In this article, we dive deep into the origins of the Flatwood Monster and explore how it influenced Yukinobu’s work.
The Origin of the Flatwood Monster Myth
A Meteor or a Legitimate Alien Encounter?
On June 17, 2025, a bright object across the sky was spotted in the town of Flatwoods in West Virginia. When the eyewitnesses went to investigate, they reported seeing a pulsing red light that drew their attention. Curious to get to the bottom of it, they decided to look near the hill where the bright object was originally spotted. According to eyewitness reports, as they got closer, they came acrossa 10-foot-tall man-like figurethat had an ace of space-shaped head, a round blood-red face, and claw-like hands.
Later as the news spread, a local sheriff and a deputy investigated the area but found nothing out of the ordinary. However, that did not stop the story from becoming a piece of national news as reporters flocked to the area to investigate and draw their own conclusions. But even seven decades later, no conclusive evidence has been found to corroborate the eyewitnesses' story. Although there are several theories regarding the incident, the most widely accepted one is proposed by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry’s Joe Nickell, who claims that the witnesses probably saw a meteor. This was most likely the case as several meteor sightings were reported from different locations in the United States that year on September 12th.
Joe also had an explanation forthe bizarre extraterrestrial encounterthat the eyewitnesses had that day. According to him, the people on ground zero probably came across a barn owl, which they mistook for a humanoid creature from another world. He claims that the shadow most likely made the bird appear larger than usual, an illusion, that was further intensified by their heightened state of anxiety. Despite launching several investigations in the area, no proof of extraterrestrial life was ever found. However, the lack of evidence did not stop people from making their theories and the myth of the Flatwoods Monster continues to endure several decades after the incident.
Flatwood Monster inDandadan
The Series is Heavily Influenced By Eyewitness Accounts of the 1952 Incident
Yukinobu Tatsu’sDandadanborrows ideas from real-life alien and cryptid myths, including the Flatwood Monster. Like the extraterrestrial from West Virginia, the Flatwood Monster in the series is also 10-foot-tall and was first spotted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County. In the following years, there were reports of its sightings in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture. Flatwood Monster isquite muscular and built like a sumo wrestlerin the anime. Its mouth is rectangular and moves mechanically, while the head is surrounded by a mysterious hood. Since it is quite tall and has a giant belly, the Flatwood Monster could potentially weigh several tons.
Interestingly, the Flatwood monster is the subordinate of the Serpos and is also an alien like them. Due to its colossal size and sumo wrestler-like build, itcan generate frightening powerusing sumo-style foot stomps. These are extremely dangerous to anyone in proximity since the force can even kill an ordinary human being.
The Flatwood monster’s strength can dramatically shift into a weakness as its body starts to disintegrate upon contact with the ground, for some inexplicable reason. It’s almost as if the alien can only fight in an upright sumo pose. However, in case this happens, the Flatwood monster’s leg generation ability allows it to grow new pairs of legs immediately to stabilize the rest of the body.
The real-life eyewitness in the 1952 West Virginia incident had claimed that they felt nauseated and smelled a pungent mist soon after coming across the 10-foot-tall man-like figure. Yukinobu appears to have borrowed the idea to give the Flatwood Monster in the anime the power to emit a toxic black mist that causes nosebleeds. The alien uses the noxiousmist to attack Okarunand Momo, to force them out of their hiding.
Despite being incredibly strong, Flatwood Monster is surprisingly obedient to the Serpo Aliens. It remains fixated on its taskto procure Okarun and Momo’s banana organswhen it encounters them. The alien almost manages to defeat the eccentric duo with supernatural powers, single-handedly. However, Momo’s quick thinking allows the two friends to put the talisman in place following which it burns to ashes and dies.
Dandadan
Cast
Based on Yukinobu Tatsu’s popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan blends action, comedy, romance, and supernatural thrills to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the extraordinary, although the former believes in ghosts and the latter believes in aliens. Determined to confirm their side’s existence, they set out to find their proof.
