There may be no other series in the shonen manga and anime world that holds as iconic and fundamental a place as Dragon Ball. Although its creator Akira Toriyama initially planned a lighter and more adventurous story, the series quickly evolved away from comedic scenes, leading to high-stakes battles featuring tournaments and increasingly deadly foes. This evolution has influenced many shonen anime series over the last forty years, from Naruto and Black Clover published by Shueisha to rival publishers' productions like Gachiakuta.

While the anime boom during the pandemic has brought immense popularity to new-generation classics like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, the most interesting and unique Jump+ series has truly come into the spotlight after the anime adaptation hit the market. Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandadan, with its stunning artwork and weekly releases that consistently challenge statistics while maintaining quality, may be the most exciting genre blend, character design, and action to hit the shonen genre since Dragon Ball. The best part is that the series doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Dandadan has been heard of by nearly everyone in the anime community; this is an inevitable result of the series' legendary first two seasons and particularly its absurd plot structure. The journey initiated by Ken Takakura (aka Okarun) and Momo Ayase to retrieve stolen family jewels has transformed into a mix of a love story and an ultimate yokai creation plot after the anime's second season. Dandadan is a melting pot that includes a power system reminiscent of Yu Yu Hakusho, character designs akin to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and energy attacks on the level of Dragon Ball. Within the series' chaotic structure, readers and viewers can find a fresh air even in more formulaic arcs.

While it may be hard to avoid the weekly monster structure in Dandadan's early days, the series successfully colors this with genres and tropes less common in shonen series. This includes supernatural horror like ghosts and science fiction like aliens, as well as Japanese specialties like mecha and kaiju; each is often represented by Okarun and Momo's growing mismatched friend group. In addition to each carrying their own bombastic and exaggerated versions of typical high school cliques, Dandadan's characters possess a remarkable diversity of powers and roles as fighters, friends, and even love interests.

According to ABEMA, Tatsu has cited Dragon Ball, along with Ultraman and Berserk, as some of his earliest influences. In addition to working as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto for Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, he has also assisted Yuji Kaku for Hell's Paradise; it is not hard to see where Tatsu draws inspiration for his unusual style and consistently strong visuals and how he has developed them further.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect is that despite being a shonen series, Dandadan integrates romance appropriately. Weekly Shonen Jump's Blue Box (even older series like I's) clearly shows that romance should have a place among young male readers. However, popular Shonen Jump authors like Eiichiro Oda have either deliberately avoided romance or left it with mediocre impact, as seen in series like Naruto or My Hero Academia. While other characters like Kinta Sakata or Jiji aim to win the hearts of various female characters as a typical shonen trope, Okarun and