Summary
- Dandadan and JJK share themes like cursed spirits and yokai, making a crossover appealing.
- Even though there are differences in tone, a 'What If?' Story could merge the two series.
- A crossover as canon is impractical due to story conflicts, but a one-shot or OVA could work best.
Jujutsu Kaisen and Dandadan are two of the most popular mangas published today. Furthermore, fans continue to find correlations between Yukinobu Tatsu's sci-fi-horror comedy and Gege Akutami's supernatural action saga. But are the two series' connections strong enough to merit a Dandadan x Jujutsu Kaisen crossover event?
Dandadan and Jujutsu Kaisen share compatible themes, especially those related to cursed spirits and yokai. Their authors also share similar tastes, admiring Chainsaw Man's Tatsuki Fujimoto. However, this event would work best as a one-shot 'What If?' Story to avoid plot conflicts.
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Dandadan and Jujutsu Kaisen Have Compatible Themes
There's a reason why various op-eds state that Dandadan is Jujutsu Kaisen's spiritual successor. The two series share significant similarities. However, they contrast enough in tone and subject matter to complement each other.
Paranormal activity, specifically cursed spirits, is vital to the plots of Dandadan and JJK. Even the backstories behind each series' cursed spirits overlap. In Dandadan, yokai are born from trauma that prevents spirits from passing on to the afterlife. JJK's cursed spirits are not ghosts but beings generated from the negative emotions that seep from humans. Both definitions are close enough to tie the two popular series together. Maybe yokai and cursed spirits can coexist, with Dandadan's yokai feeding cursed energy to JJK's cursed spirits.
Another parallel between Dandadan and JJK is its heroes' abilities. Momo Ayase's psychic ability closely mirrors the cursed techniques used by jujutsu sorcerers. Okarun and Aira's yokai forms reflect the powers Yuji Itadori gains after becoming Sukuna's vessel. Even Turbo Granny, a yokai trapped inside a "beckoning cat" statue, resembles a cursed corpse like Panda.
Dandadan strays from JJK in two ways. First, Dandadan's tone is more comedic than JJK's. JJK has its funny moments, especially during its Juju Stroll segments. However, the anime becomes significantly darker in its second season, especially during the Shibuya Incident arc. On the other hand, Dandadan doesn't hold back with its madcap potty humor (What other TV show has so many jokes about testicles?).
The second difference between JJK and Dandadan is that Dandadan incorporates aliens into its storylines. But, considering that the worlds of Yokai and ETs clash constantly in Dandadan, fitting JJK's massive lore into the mix shouldn't be too difficult. Who knows? Perhaps a bizarre alien technology can revive fan-favorite characters like Junpei and Nanami for at least one memorable episode.
Gege Akutami Is a Big Chainsaw Man Fan
Dandadan's Creator Worked On Chainsaw Man as an Assistant
While JJK and Dandadan's compatibility is apparent, a crossover requires just as much, if not more, synergy behind the scenes. Do JJK and Dandadan's creative teams share any connections that could enable a crossover? Unfortunately, no concrete evidence supports a working relationship between JJK author Gege Akutami and Dandadan author Yukinobu Tatsu. Still, there are faint hints one can infer from.
One significant connection between Akutami and Tatsu is the hit manga Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto. In Jujutsu Kaisen: The Official Character Guide, Akutami discusses his admiration of Fujimoto, stating:
Every time I read one of their manga, I get all jealous, like, 'Ah, crap, crap. They exist, they exist! There are people who can write great stories no matter what.'
As for Tatsu, he worked directly with Fujimoto as an assistant for Chainsaw Man. Moreover, one of Tatsu's breakthrough moments as an artist occurred during a drinking party with Fujimoto and Shonen Jump Deputy Editor-In-Chief Shihei Lin. Their conversation was the catalyst that led to Tatsu drawing Dandadan.
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A JJK X Dandadan Crossover Cannot Exist as Canon
A One-Shot or OVA Makes More Sense
While a Dandadan x Jujutsu Kaisen crossover would be a tremendous fan-service event, it would not make sense for the crossover to extend beyond a one-shot manga or OVA. There are too many obstacles preventing the two series from merging canonically.
The most significant obstacle is that Jujutsu Kaisen's story concluded while Dandadan's is still ongoing. And retconning JJK's story, especially with the manga's many deaths, is impractical. Plus, how could jujutsu sorcery exist in its present form after an alien confrontation? There is no way that jujutsu's proactive sorcerers would witness something like a Serpoian invasion and decide to ignore it.
A 'What If?' Scenario would suit a Dandadan x Jujutsu Kaisen event much better because the rules of the canon would not restrain it. The story can exist in whatever eras of Dandadan and JJK work best. Dead characters can come back or perhaps never die in the first place. Lastly, the heroes and villains of each universe can clash without significantly affecting each other.
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Dandadan
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- 2024 - 2025-00-00
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.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
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- October 3, 2020
Based on Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen manga, Mappa's battle shonen anime envisions a world where Jujutsu Sorcerers battle against entities born out of Cursed Energy. One day, a teenager named Yuji Itadori is dragged into this conflict when he eats a possessed finger.
