Why Momo and Okarun's dynamic duo was an afterthought in Dandadan, explained

With Dandadan anime soon set to end its first season, fans have come to love the anime, especially its protagonists Momo and Okarun. But did you know, as revealed by manga creator Yukinobu Tatsu, Momo and Okarun's duo was never supposed to be a thing?

Dandadan, written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu, is a Japanese series serialized in Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ since April 2021. The manga's chapters have been compiled into 17 volumes and is currently airing its anime adaptation produced by Science SARU.

Yukinobu Tatsu added Okarun in Dandadan to maximize chances of serialization

As much as fans may have come to love Okarun in Dandadan, the truth is that he was never meant to be a protagonist alongside Momo Ayase. As revealed by manga creator Yukinobu Tatsu in an interview, after working as an assistant to Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto during Fire Punch's serialization, he had a tough time getting a manga serialized.

Considering that most Shonen manga featured a male protagonist, Yukinobu Tatsu wanted to draw a Shonen manga with a girl as the main character. Unfortunately, this idea kept getting rejected in serialization meetings. Hence, he added a male character to his story to maximize the chances of serialization.

Momo Ayase as seen in the anime (Image via Science SARU)

Fortunately, this plan worked, as adding Okarun as a protagonist alongside Momo Ayase effectively saw Dandadan get serialized. Yukinobu Tatsu further added that he was particular about having a girl protagonist because it would allow him to resolve conflicts in the story in different ways and patterns, compared to when the protagonist is a boy.

Even when the manga creator was asked about the two characters' personalities on why he chose to make Momo a gal and Okarun an otaku, he didn't really address Okarun.

Okarun as seen in the anime (Image via Science SARU)

Yukinobu Tatsu expressed that he had never drawn a main character who was a gal. Hence, he thought it would be more imaginative to draw something he didn't know much about.

As for Okarun being an otaku, the manga creator did not really address him but only stated he liked retro things. He believed that people were more energetic in the past. Hence, he wanted fans to read his manga and get the same feeling. Essentially, Yukinobu Tatsu used Okarun as a plot device to introduce okatu-like retro topics in his story.

Momo and Okarun as seen in the anime (Image via Science SARU)

Thus, as suggested by the manga creator's words, Okarun and Momo's partnership in Dandadan is effectively an afterthought for Yukinobu Tatsu. Had the manga creator succeeded in getting a manga serialized with only a female protagonist, chances are fans would have never seen Okarun manifest.

On top of that, it is highly likely that "romance" which is a huge part of Dandadan might have never been depicted in the same way as it is now. Hence, there is no way to deduce how the story would have manifested if Okarun was never introduced.