Hi everyone.
I’ve been wanting to write down my theory about the current state of the manga for a while now: the curse of the “Märchen Karuta” spirit, the transfusion of multiple powers, and Ken’s possible role as Pinocchio in all of this.
I’ve read quite a few theories from the community, and I’ve tried to develop my own take by combining my own ideas with some theories that fully convinced me, and others that only partially convinced me.
For me, one important thing about Dandadan is that, unlike many other battle shonen/neketsu series where fights usually push the plot forward, in Dandadan fights tend to push character development and relationships forward, while the plot itself is often built more independently in the background.
I think that distinction is important for understanding Ken’s possible role as Pinocchio and the possible outcome.
This is going to be a long one, so be prepared.
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First, I want to talk about how I think the transfusion of multiple powers works.
Even if this may seem obvious to some people, I think what Vlad is doing is only possible, at least so far, thanks to the power of the “Märchen Karuta.” CSG specifically wanted that yokai’s power, and he orchestrated the entire Danmara arc in order to obtain it, and maybe, at the same time, to prepare the future vessels.
From my point of view, the specific power each user has is almost irrelevant. What really matters is their relationship with the Märchen Karuta, or with its holder, and which fairy tale they are able to represent.
CSG killed many birds with one stone during the Danmara arc. He obtained the power he wanted, while multiple characters were “linked” to the fairy tales needed for Vlad’s transformation. Whether this was a master plan from the beginning or just a convenient opportunity is hard to determine, but in the same way that Red Baron represents Little Red Riding Hood, I think we can assume that if the members of the Dandagang had not been linked to those fairy tales so naturally, the people CSG gave powers to would have occupied their place instead, just like Red Baron did.
I also think CSG is, at the very least, a gray character, and someone who exists on a scale above Earth’s conflicts. As we saw in the Space Globalists arc, I think the whole nobility/ranking theme will become important, and CSG may belong to some kind of extraterrestrial organization with positions above his own.
In any case, I am convinced that CSG has his own interests, independent of Vlad and the Earth clans.
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Going back to the fairy tales, I think that, as happens in many manga or series, Tatsu is using them as inspiration rather than adapting them literally. The fairy tale does not need to match perfectly word by word. It just needs to work as a symbolic parallel or inspiration.
Momo became Alice in Wonderland: she met the Queen of Hearts, entered a fantasy world, and became small.
Zuma became Hansel and Gretel, he had his brother Fuuta. But also, for me, his relationship with Momo during Danmara almost felt like that of twins or siblings, and together they travelled through a world of sweets while trying to escape their captor.
Rin released her voice and power for the first time, overcoming her embarrassment by singing in order to save the others, almost “enchanting” them and pulling them toward her, out of Danmara.
Kouki is the most complicated one to connect directly to the Märchen Karuta, because as far as we know, she was not directly linked to the board or to Vlad. However, she was already able to see the pygmies, who clearly represent the dwarfs from Snow White, her situation at home also fits with the idea of parental neglect/abandonment and was given the power.
Red Baron was deceived by the wolf hiding inside his father figure, after bringing him gifts, only to be consumed like Little Red Riding Hood.
As I said before, I think the user’s power itself does not matter that much. What matters is their symbolic connection to the Märchen Karuta.
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And this is where we get to Pinocchio.
I think Ken is Pinocchio. I firmly believe it, and with what we have seen in the latest chapters, I think we can start connecting some dots.
Ken was always the perfect Pinocchio.
From the very beginning of the manga, he wants to become a “man.” And by “man,” I don’t mean it in a simplistic macho way, but as the idea of growing up, overcoming his insecurities, finding courage, not lying or hiding what he feels, and becoming the best version of himself.
Ken already fulfilled the requirements to be Pinocchio: he had a power, and he was involved in Danmara.
But Ken deviated from the plan.
He let go of his power, and he started becoming honest with his feelings. He was slowly stopping being Pinocchio, and at the same time, he no longer had a power that could be stolen, something CSG himself realized.
At this point, it is clear that our protagonists are being monitored. So I think CSG created a new plan to make Ken become Pinocchio again, while also giving him a new power that could later be taken from him.
Why is Momo the only one whose memories were erased, if Shinobu also stole Zuma’s powers?
Why was Seiko attacked?
The minions may say it was simply to steal powers, but we have already seen that even Red Baron does not fully know the true intentions of CSG and Vlad. So I think attacking Seiko was mainly about removing her from the board in order to make the plan possible.
By erasing Momo’s memories, Ken has been thrown into a massive emotional imbalance. He is starting to doubt himself again, lose part of what he had gained as a person, hide what he feels, and lie.
In other words, he is becoming a functional Pinocchio again.
And then we also have the whale cryptid attack, which adds even more to Pinocchio.
On the other hand, it would make sense to me if Shinobu, pretending to be Seiko, gave the Oni Club to Manjiro so he could pass it to Ken. By removing Seiko from the equation, nobody can truly verify whether the Oni Club was really given by her or not.
I have read theories about Manjiro being fake, but that convinces me less, especially because they have been training together after that.
So, in this theory, the Oni Club would be the replacement power that CSG gave Ken, so that he would have something that could be stolen later. And it would also be a power specifically chosen to fit Vlad’s Oni-looking transformation.
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So where do we go from here?
As I said at the beginning, I think Dandadan usually rewards us with character growth and relationship development at the end of every major fight or arc.
Now that the fights are coming, we already saw yesterday that Ken and Aira’s enemy said that his heart is “the heart of a water flea.” This could be a hint that Okarun’s heart is currently very small, which would fit with the already functional Pinocchio idea.
I think our protagonists will fight, and at some point during or after the battle, Ken will be honest again and definitively reject Aira, probably in front of Momo.
It will be a hard moment, but I think that may be what makes Ken ruin CSG’s plans once again, because by being honest and facing his feelings properly, he would lose his Pinocchio status.
After that, depending on how the arc ends and whether Ken loses the Oni Club or not, the next arc could begin with CSG looking for another Pinocchio alternative, while still completing Vlad’s transformation during the arc.
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I don’t think Tatsu has simply run out of ideas or suddenly become a bad writer. I think we just need to wait and see the bigger picture of the arc.
I’ve been reading manga weekly for many years, and things like this always happen in big series when an arc takes an unexpected direction, or a direction readers don’t necessarily want. If the arc closes well, a lot of the criticism tends to disappear over time once people can see the full picture.
I’m not going to tell anyone they can’t feel tired of the current arc, or uncomfortable with the direction it is taking. That is completely fair. But I do think we should be patient.
Looking back, when Aira, Jiji, Vamola, and Zuma appeared, many of us had doubts about whether Dandadan was going to fall into the usual romantic triangle situations. And every time, Tatsu twisted those expectations in a much more interesting way.
So let’s see what happens with the current arc.
That’s all. I don’t want to leave an entire manuscript here, even if I probably already did.
I hope you find the theory interesting, and I’ll be happy to read your thoughts, disagreements, or anything else you think could connect with this.
Let’s see how our beloved Dandadan keeps moving forward.