Summary
Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Dandadan, Episode 3, “It’s a Granny vs. Granny Clash!", now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Dandadan is full of wacky and mysterious characters, and one of them just so happens to be a name without a face: “Ken Takakura”. In the final seconds of the pilot episode, the main male character, the UFO-obsessed guy in glasses, reveals his name to be Ken Takakura. The female lead, Momo Ayase, responds with a stare of disbelief as the crashed UFO behind her blows up like fireworks. As you might be able to tell from that interaction, Momo has an entirely different Ken Takakura in mind. But who?
The ending of the first episode isn’t the first time the name in question popped up inDandadan, as it was also mentioned a few times in the beginning. Momo implies that her ideal man is one “Ken Takakura”, as she mopes about never finding someone like him.
Momo’s Ideal Man, the Famous Japanese Actor
It’s a Celebrity Crush. Go Figure
Dandadanmakes it clear that the Ken Takakura Momo adores isn’t the same person asthe otaku conspiracy theoristviewers have come to know in the show. The Ken Takakura that Momo has a crush on is an extremely popular Japanese actor known for his work from the mid-late 1900s. It’s no exaggeration to say that Ken Takakura, called Ken-san by his fans, is one of Japan’s most prominent actors. He’s won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor four times, making him the only person to get that many.
Momo loves Ken-san so much, that the only reason she started dating theboy from the startof the series is because he somewhat resembles Ken-san’s appearance. Of course, after realizing that the boy didn’t share his personality at all, and was a massive jackass, she quickly breaks up with him by giving him a roundhouse kick.
Momo also sees Ken Takakura as a role model, using him as her motivation for doing what’s right. InDandadanepisode 3, “It’s a Granny vs. Granny Clash!”,Momo’s grandma, Seiko AyaseAKA Santa Dodoria, tries to convince Momo to leave Okarun and that they don’t stand a chance against Turbo Granny. However, Momo stands her ground, saying that Ken-san wouldn’t back down from a situation like this, so she wouldn’t either.
It’s no wonder that when Momo finds out the guy she’s beenfighting aliens and spiritswith is also named Ken Takakura, she goes into a state of shock. Afterward, she immediately insists on giving him a nickname, settling with “Okarun” because he’s a fan of the occult. She even goes as far as to ban any mention of Okarun’s real name completely.
Why Does Okarun Have the Same Name as Ken Takakura?
Believe It or Not, There Might Not Be One
The reason why Okarun has the same name seems to be a complete coincidence. As ridiculous as that sounds, Momo’s schoolmate just so happens to have the same first and last name as the actor she idolizes. Neither the anime nor the manga have shown any signs that Okarun is physically related to the Japanese superstar Ken Takakura.
But although there might not be an in-lore reason, there might be an irl reason for why the writer, Yukinobu Tatsu, decided to give Okarun that name.Granny Turbo’s hostmight not look anything like the actor, but they’re actually somewhat alike personality-wise. Ken Takakura often played the roles of strong, selfless, silent types, and here’s how Okarun is similar to that:
I can’t get you involved in it anymore, Miss Ayase. I’ll use willpower to make it to the tunnel, and then make it work somehow.
However, the manga is still ongoing, so maybe Yukinobu Tatsu has plans to eventually tie the two Ken Takakuras together in a more literal sense. It is admittedly a little weird that Okarun hasn’t made a single mention of his big-screen namesake yet. Or maybe it’ll stay a weird coincidence, weirder things than sharing names have andwill happen in the world ofDandadan.
There’s Another “Ken” The Ayase Family Loves
Loving Kens Must Run In the Family
If you thought the coincidence of having two Ken Takakuras is wild,Dandadanhas way more in store for you. InDandadanepisode 3, “It’s a Granny vs. Granny Clash!”, it’s shown that Santa Dodoria is a big fan of a show calledShimura Ken no Bakatonosama. This is a real Japanese comedy show where the person playing the role of the show’s lead character is a Japanese comedian named Ken Shimura. Apparently, Granny Ayase’s tastes are hereditary.
Also, although this doesn’t directly affect the show, the Japanese voice actor for Okarun, Natsuki Hanae, is the same person who voicesKen Kaneki fromTokyo Ghoul, so there’s yet another character named Ken linked toDandadan.
Dandadan is now available to stream onCrunchyroll,Netflix,Muse Asia, and several other streaming platforms. The release date for the next episode of Dandadan, episode 5, is set to be July 16, 2025, at 9:00 AM PT.
