Dandan: Who is Momo Ayase?

Key Takeaways

• Ayase Momo's upbringing shapes her naive personality and intolerance of bullying and leads to a life-changing adventure.
• After meeting Okarun, Momo develops superpowers, deepens her bond with her grandmother, and explores romance.
• Momo's courage, wisdom, and heroism amidst supernatural conflict make her a moving and memorable character.

Tatsu Yukinobu's masterpiece, Dan Dan Danintroduces readers to a rich, imaginative world of aliens and spirits that beautifully blends elements of horror, romance, comedy, and science fiction to tell captivating stories. The core of the story explores arcane mythology and alien conspiracy theories, while also capturing the evolution of quirky characters who add humor, personal adversity, triumph, and intrigue to the chaotic narrative. Among these characters, the eccentric heroine Momo Ayase emerges as a pivotal character whose actions and decisions have a profound impact on the story.

Not only does Momo exude confidence and courage in the face of adversity and demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the cause, but her dynamic personality adds more drama, laughter, and spice to the series. But what makes her stand out among the many quirky characters in comics? In this article, we explore Ayase Momo's childhood, her relationship with her grandmother, and the dramatic impact Okarun had on her life.

Momo's childhood and relationship with her grandmother

Seiko Ayase transforms Momo into a strong young woman

It is unclear what happened to her parents, but Ayase Momo began living with her grandmother Seiko at the Ayase residence in Kamigoe City at a very young age. Seiko, a psychic, taught her granddaughter daily rituals, supposedly to ward off evil spirits. Around the same time, Momo develops a crush on her childhood friend Jin Enzoji. Although she was reluctant, Seiko still forced her to perform the ritual in public, which ultimately led to her being bullied by her peers. Momo reached her breaking point when even Jin joined the assailants and made fun of Momo.

Heartbroken and humiliated, Momo falls out with Seiko and begins to doubt her grandmother's qualifications as a psychic. As the conflict grew due to ridicule from her peers, Momo thought deeply about her grandmother. Eventually, she realized that people were more upset by people ignoring Seiko's daily rituals than by her bullying. The revelation helped her improve her relationship with her grandmother as she understood how much Seiko meant to her.

As Momo grew, her relationship with Seiko continued to develop. Momo and Seiko, who secretly respect their grandmother,'s daily conversations are filled with friendly bickering, taunts, and insults, adding warmth and humor to their unique bond. By the time Momo entered high school, she had grown into a strong, opinionated, and compassionate teenager with no patience for bullies and troublemakers. It is Seiko's gentle leadership and freedom-loving personality that enables Momo's evolution and turns her into a resilient young woman. Interestingly, her disgust with bullies and lack of respect for criminals eventually lead her to the man who would change her life forever.

Momo's life after meeting Okarun

Meeting Ken Takakura and developing feelings for him led to Momo's growth.

As mentioned above, Seiko's upbringing played a pivotal role in shaping Momo's naive personality and intolerance of bullies. It was this aversion to troublemakers that ultimately changed her life. One day, Momo saw a boy her age being bullied by his classmates and did not hesitate to intervene and make sure he was safe. Her act of kindness led her to meet Ken Takakura, a mysterious fanatic who believes in bizarre alien conspiracy theories. Momo soon discovered that Okarun did not believe in spirits, and felt that his alien beliefs made no sense.

Momo and Ken's conflicting worldviews eventually lead to a bet that sends them on a life-changing adventure that challenges their belief systems. The two become drawn to each other as they explore the supernatural, realizing that both aliens and spirits are real. Their friendship and camaraderie was shaped by Momo's brave and intolerant attitude towards bullies, which was shaped by their childhood experiences. In another incident, Momo used her powers on another person who was trying to manipulate Okarun for narcissistic reasons and worked to drop the basin. These incidents also highlight her strong sense of justice and show that Momo is very considerate of those around her, even if she does not know them.

Momo, who met Okarun, awakens her dormant superpowers as she faces a crisis. She soon realizes that her grandmother's seemingly puzzling rituals are not without purpose and that they protect her from supernatural forces. This ultimately strengthens her bond with Seiko as she realizes how long her grandmother has been unknowingly protecting her from supernatural threats. Not only does meeting Okarun expand Momo's supernatural world view and help her become closer to Seiko, but it is also implied that she begins to develop romantic feelings that she has never experienced before.

Ken gradually becomes an essential part of her life, and in any crisis, he is the first person who comes to mind. As Okarun begins to receive more attention from his peers, especially girls, Momo's romantic feelings deepen. On several occasions, she even has emotional outbursts, which reveal her possessiveness towards Ken. However, Momo is generally an expressive high school student who does not hesitate to express her thoughts and feelings. She wears her heart on her sleeve and reveals her emotions honestly, which further highlights her captivating personality. In addition to being outgoing, expressive, and compassionate, Momo can sometimes be short-tempered and easily irritated.

Despite being an ordinary teenager, Momo shows incredible courage in the face of adversity. After forming a relationship with Okarun, she unexpectedly becomes embroiled in supernatural conflict. Some of these inconveniences are mundane, but others could plunge Earth into an existential crisis due to galactic conflict. Fighting against a militaristic and colonial alien race is costly, and risking your life is always important. But even in such dire circumstances, Momo regularly displays wisdom beyond her years and voluntarily fights for the greater good. Her heroism and bravery shown at a young age make her an inspiring character that leaves a lasting impression.