Dandadan chapter 188: Okarun and Kinta's fight begins as the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur's backstory is teased
Following the conclusion of the fight against Murakami in the last issue, fans expected Dandadan chapter 188 to begin Ken “Okarun” Takakura and Kinta Sakata’s fight. Officially released on Monday, March 31, 2025, the installment did indeed see the pair’s fight against Hase and the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur begin.
However, Dandadan chapter 188 deviated from fans’ expectations in that the foursome’s fight doesn’t seem to be getting split up into two one-on-one matchups. Rather, it seems that Okarun and Kinta will fight their two enemies together, even as Hase tries to convince the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur to target Kinta alone.
Jet Booster Exosuit Kur’s backstory flashback begins in Dandadan chapter 188’s final panels
Dandadan chapter 188 began with part of Kami High being destroyed as Hase and the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur pursued Ken “Okarun” Takakura and Kinta Sakata. Kinta was seen asking what their pursuers were as a transformed Hase used his Jumping Crone yokai powers to charge at and kick Okarun into the building. However, the nanotech gauntlets Okarun was wearing began blowing up an airbag, which Okarun placed behind him to cushion his fall.
As he ran away and called out to Kinta, the airbags went back into the gauntlets to be used again. However, Okarun said they couldn’t fight with just airbags, while Kinta implied he didn’t want to fight at all and just wanted to run. Okarun instead wanted to find Rin Sawaki and Kouki Yukishiro to ensure their safety while asking what the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur was doing there. He also seemingly recognized Hase here as the focus shifted to him reverting to base form.
Dandadan chapter 188 saw Hase curse how exhausting transforming was and how much his abilities wore on his feet. Hase yelled at the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur for zipping around and getting in his way, telling her to focus on Sakata. However, she was uninterested, instead playing around with her suit while cursing Count Saint-Germain for how difficult it was. The glyphs seen as she tried using the suit seemed similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Hase then asks if she’s listening to him, saying that while they’re both after Okarun’s abilities, he only wants to beat Okarun up and will surrender his powers likewise. While transforming once again, he told her not to get in his way and that he’d kill her if she did. Hase’s yokai state saw ovular discs with support beams in the center appear at his feet, with his leg muscles also growing in size. A demonic mask also covered his face in this state.
Dandadan chapter 188, saw the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur say nothing in response, while Kinta took advantage of their discussion to give Okarun new equipment. He essentially gave him a protective chest plate, which functioned as a jetpack, and also gave him gauntlets on his legs, which shot pile bunkers. Kinta, meanwhile, transformed into his Great Kinta mecha, which Okarun took issue with due to only having parts of a set of armor.
As Hase tried reaffirming his point to the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur, she charged at Okarun and hit him with a kick. However, his chestplate protected him fully, prompting Kinta to explain that he realized he needed to increase the durability of his designs. He thus carried a steel paperweight every day in order to familiarize himself with the hardness of steel. However, this led Okarun to point out that they were both moving slowly due to the weight of the armor.
As Kinta agreed, Dandadan chapter 188 saw Hase kick him away, while the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur attacked Okarun and said he stole everything from her. Okarun countered that she stole his family jewel first, while she said he stole his reason for living. She revealed that her planet was destroyed by the Kur, prompting her to join them for revenge. However, after finally becoming Hastur Kur’s right hand, Okarun ruined it by defeating him in the Space Globalists Arc.
Okarun, however, said none of that meant anything to him as he rammed into her. He then used his pile bunkers to attack successfully, saying he wasn’t her enemy and trying to reason with her. However, the issue ended with her saying her only goal was to kill him and then die herself, with the final panel starting her origin flashback as she’s seen kissing her presumed husband.
Final thoughts
While Dandadan chapter 188 certainly takes a different direction than fans expected, the installation is exciting and sets up key future plot points. The start of the Jet Booster Exosuit Kur’s backstory signifies this, teasing her to eventually choose to side with Okarun and co rather than Count Saint-Germain. While speculative, this certainly would follow the path many of the series’ former antagonists have taken throughout the story.
Related links:
- Dandadan chapter 187 highlights
- Dandadan chapter 186 highlights
- Dandadan chapter 185 highlights
- Dandadan chapter 187 confirms Murakami isn't the Orchestrator
- Kouki's new powers in Dandadan tease how Okarun may get abilities of his own