Dandadan: Who is Momo Ayase?

Key things

• Momo Ayase's upbringing shapes her no-nonsense personality and intolerance for bullying, leading to life-changing adventures.
• After meeting Okarun, Momo develops psychic abilities, deepens her bond with her grandmother, and explores romance.
• Momo's courage, wisdom and heroism in supernatural conflicts showcase her as an inspiring and unforgettable character.

Yukinobu Tatsu's magnum opus, Dandadanintroduces readers to a rich and imaginative world of aliens and ghosts that beautifully blends elements of horror, romance, comedy and science fiction to tell a compelling story. While the core of the story is an exploration of mysterious myths and alien conspiracy theories, it also captures the development of its quirky characters, who add humor, personal adversity, triumphs and intrigue to the chaotic narrative. Among these characters, the eccentric heroine Momo Ayase stands out as a pivotal character, whose actions and decisions deeply affect the story.

Momo not only exudes confidence and courage in the face of adversity, showing unwavering loyalty to the greater good, but her dynamic personality adds more drama, hilarity and spice to the series. But what makes him 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 effect Okarun has on her life.

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 began living with her grandmother Seiko at 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 fell in love with her childhood friend, Jin Enjoji. Although she was reluctant, Seiko still forced her to perform the rituals in public, which eventually led to bullying by her peers. Momo reached her breaking point when even Jin joined the bullies and made fun of her.

Broken and humiliated, Momo had an argument with Seiko and also began to question her grandmother's qualifications as a spirit medium. While the disapproval was fueled by the ridicule she faced at the hands of her peers, deep down Momo cared deeply for her grandmother. She eventually realized that she was more annoyed by people looking down on Seiko's daily rituals than her own bullying. The enlightening revelation then helped her repair her relationship with her grandmother when she realized how much Seiko meant to her.

As Momo grew older, her relationship with Seiko continued to evolve. While she secretly respects her grandmother, Momoa's daily conversations with Seiko are filled with friendly banter, mockery, and insults that add warmth and humor to their unique bond. By the time Momo enrolled in high school, she had become a strong, very stubborn and compassionate teenager who has no patience for bullies and troublemakers. It is Seiko's gentle guidance and freedom-loving nature that allows Momo to evolve and shape her into the resilient young woman she is becoming. Interestingly, her aversion to being bullied and her lack of respect for nothing eventually leads her to the person who will change 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 key role in shaping Momo's unreasonable personality and intolerance of bullying. It was this aversion to troublemakers that ultimately changed her life. One day, when she noticed her classmates picking on boys her age, Momo didn't hesitate to step in to make sure she was safe. Her act of kindness led to her meeting Ken Takakura, an occult fanatic who believed in strange alien conspiracy theories. Momo soon discovered that Okarun did not believe in ghosts and felt that his alien beliefs did not make sense.

Momo and Ken's conflicting worldviews eventually lead to a bet that sends the duo on a life-changing adventure that challenges their belief systems. Realizing that both aliens and ghosts are real, the duo find themselves drawn to each other as they investigate the supernatural. Their friendship and companionship was rooted in Momo's brave and intolerant attitude towards bullying, which was in turn shaped by her childhood experiences. In another incident, Momo tried to use her powers to drop a sink on another person who tried to manipulate Okarun for narcissistic reasons. These events also highlight her strong sense of justice and show that Momo is very considerate of the people around her, even if she doesn't know them.

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 without purpose and provided her with protection from supernatural forces. This in turn further strengthens her bond with Seiko as she realizes how long her grandmother has been protecting her from supernatural threats without her knowledge. Crossing paths with Okarun not only broadens Momo's supernatural world view and helps her grow closer to Seiko, but it is also said that she begins to develop romantic feelings she has never experienced before.

Ken slowly becomes an indispensable part of her life and in every crisis he is the first person she thinks of. Momo's romantic feelings deepen as Okarun begins to receive more attention from his peers, especially girls. She even has an emotional outburst on several occasions that reveals her possessive attitude towards Ken. However, Momo is generally an expressive high school girl who does not hesitate to express her thoughts and feelings. She wears her heart on her sleeves and is open about her emotions, which adds another layer to her charming personality. In addition to being open, expressive and compassionate, Momo can also be hot-tempered and easily irritated at times.

Despite being a typical teenager, Momo still shows incredible courage in the face of adversity. Ever since she crossed paths with Okarun, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn into supernatural conflicts. While some of these annoyances are mundane, others may be intergalactic disputes that will put Earth in an existential crisis. Fighting militaristic and colonialist alien races comes at a high cost and always involves risking one's own life. But even in such dire circumstances, Momo regularly displays wisdom beyond her years and voluntarily fights for the greater good. Her heroism and bravery at such a young age make her an inspirational figure that leaves a lasting impression.