Dandadan: Flatwoods Monster, explained

Key things

• Dandadan
  mixes horror, humor and action as it explores the supernatural through two teenagers.
• Episode 2's Flatwood Monster is inspired by a real-life alien encounter in 1952 in West Virginia.
• Flatwood Monster in
  Dandadan
  demonstrates immense strength, toxic mist abilities, and loyalty to the Serpo Aliens.

Yukinobu Tatsuse's unique talent for fusing the paranormal and alien worlds and telling captivating stories truly shines through in his magnum opus, Dandadan. The series mixes horror and humor while delivering action and otherworldly stories of two teenagers investigating the supernatural.

In episode 2, titled “It's a Space Alien, Right?!” Dandadan introduces the Flatwood Monster, an alien working under the orders of his superior, the Serpo Aliens. At first, the towering creature may seem like a figment of Yukinobu's rich and extraordinary imagination. However, it turns out to be inspired by an infamous alien encounter that was reported in the early 1950s. In this article, we'll delve 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 extraterrestrial encounter?

On September 12, 1952, a bright object was seen in the sky in Flatwoods, West Virginia. When eyewitnesses went to investigate, they reported seeing a pulsating red light that caught their attention. Curious how to get to the bottom, they decided to look near the hill where the bright object was originally spotted. According to eyewitness accounts, as they approached, they encountered a 10-foot-tall male figure that had an ace-shaped head, a round blood-red face, and claw-like hands.

Later, as the news spread, the local sheriff and deputies investigated the area, but found nothing unusual. But that didn't stop the story from becoming 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 eyewitness story. Although there are several theories regarding the incident, the most widespread is proposed by Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Investigation, who claims that witnesses likely saw a meteor. This was most likely the case, as several meteor sightings were reported from various locations in the United States on September 12 that year.

Joe also had an explanation for the bizarre extraterrestrial encounter that eyewitnesses had that day. According to him, people at ground zero probably came across a barn owl, which they mistook for a humanoid creature from another world. They argue that the shadow most likely made the bird appear larger than usual, an illusion that was further enhanced by their heightened state of anxiety. Despite launching several investigations into the area, no evidence of extraterrestrial life has ever been found. However, the lack of evidence hasn't stopped people from creating their theories, and the myth of the Flatwoods Monster persists decades after the incident.

Flatwood Monster in Dandadan

The series is heavily influenced by the testimonies of the 1952 incident

Yukinobu Tatsu Dandadan borrows ideas from real alien and mysterious myths, including the Flatwood Monster. Like the West Virginia alien, the Flatwood Monster is also 10 feet tall in the series and was first spotted in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County. In the following years, there were reports of his sightings in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture. The Flatwood Monster is quite muscular and built like a sumo wrestler in the anime. Its mouth is rectangular and moves mechanically, while a mysterious hood surrounds its head. Being quite tall and having a giant belly, the Flatwood Monster could weigh several tons.

Interestingly, the Flatwood monster is subordinate to the Serpos and is also an alien like them. With his colossal size and sumo-wrestler-like build, he can generate terrifying power with sumo-style foot stomps. These are extremely dangerous to anyone nearby as the force can kill even an ordinary human being.

A Flatwood monster's strength can dramatically change to weakness when its body begins 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 the event that this happens, the Flatwood monster's leg generation ability allows it to instantly grow new pairs of legs to stabilize the rest of its body.

An actual eyewitness to an incident in West Virginia in 1952 claimed they felt sick and smelled a pungent mist shortly after encountering a 10-foot-tall man-like figure. Yukinobu seems to have borrowed the idea of ​​giving the Flatwood Monster in the anime the power to emit a toxic black mist that causes nosebleeds. The alien uses a noxious mist to attack Okarun and Momo to drive them out of hiding.

Despite being incredibly powerful, the Flatwood Monster is surprisingly docile to the Serpo Aliens. She remains fixated on her mission to retrieve Okarun and Momo's banana organs when she meets them. An alien almost succeeds in defeating an eccentric duo with supernatural powers, without any help. However, Momo's quick thinking allows the two friends to place the talisman in place, before it burns to ashes and dies.