Chapter 180: The Twists and Turns of Dandadan Intensify

Although some of the hit manga series are on a holiday break, Yukinobu Tatsu doesn't stop with the new updates of Dandadan. The newest chapter, titled 'The Owner of Kozuka Knives,' sees our heroes being on alert for potential enemies. Aira subtly admitted she still holds strong feelings for Okarun in front of Momo, and we finally have a massive twist regarding this arc's enemy.

Momo and the Rest of the Gang Are on an Alert

The last three chapters mostly focused on Seiko and her fight with the dangerous yokai named Iron Bull and new foes in jiangshi. We found out someone mysterious blackmailed unfortunate people to do their evil deeds and that there are multiple people involved in this story arc's conspiracy. This chapter, however, sees us back with the main gang, and it opened up so many incredible paths on where this particular Dandadan story arc will go. In chapter 180, we see fairy-like Momo and the rest of the team trying to keep an eye on Kuoki to see which person is responsible for everything that has been happening. Kinta goes one step further and uses his 'special' glasses to identify who talked to Kuoki that day—Queen Sensei, Miss Adachi, and none other than Mr. Sanjome.

Sanjome seems like the most suspicious person because at one point he asked all members of the gang and Kuoki to tell him 'what secret they spotted.' Of course, everyone is on board with confronting him, but Kinta, surprisingly, stops them, saying they should wait for more concrete evidence. This leads to usual bickering, and Tatsu graces us with another fun storyline, a very well-known one to Dandadan fans.

The Possibility of a Love Triangle?

For the length of the Dandadan manga series, fans could see that Momo and Okarun clearly love each other; however, with the arrival of Aira, the possibility of a love triangle got much higher. Some would say love rectangle with Jiji in the fold, who cares deeply for Momo. Aira has strong feelings for Okarun, and that led to Momo being a bit jealous over the length of the manga series. However, as the time went by, she calmed down and started being more subdued and mature in the way she showed that affection, especially in front of Momo. This chapter reminds us of Aira's feelings for our protagonist in the funniest way possible—Kinta's nanotech glasses change shape according to a person's mental image. Of course, those glasses in Aira's hands transform into ones suspiciously similar to Okarun's, which gets Aira flustered.

She makes the situation even more awkward with her trying to explain what is really happening, Okarun's trying to be normal about it while Momo just looks weirded out by the situation. It's interesting how Aira's character developed since her first appearance—she is more careful about her feelings for Okarun, especially since he and Momo finally confessed to each other. She matured tremendously, thanks to Tatsu, who 'led' her through that journey. Meanwhile, during that distraction, on the other side of the school, we finally witness more people involved in this mess.

Familiar Faces Involved in the Conspiracy

In the school's hallways, the aforementioned Miss Adachi greets the P.E. teacher Mr. Murakami, who obviously likes the woman. He insists on her joining him in the basketball singles mixer, which seems like a 'sporty dating event.' Miss Adacho clearly doesn't want to join the event and seems quite distracted, trying to softly reject the offer. The man realizes that but still keeps the invitation open for the woman to eventually accept. While she walks away, Miss Adachi reveals her text messages that are most certainly tip-offs for the mysterious figure's next targets—Miss Adachi is revealed to be in the conspiracy that's been going on for days in the Dandadan universe. Moreover, she is the one who controls jiangshi, ancient beings that attacked Seiko in previous chapters.

On the other side of the school, we see Okarun's former bully, Hase, pestering some girls during the break. Interestingly enough, girls are gossiping about Okarun, mentioning how 'hot' he is, which unnerves the boy who lost to Ken a few days prior—the resident occult nerd has beaten a jock in a track race, which made Ken really popular among girls. The 'bully' is dismissed by the girls, and he blames Okarun for his misfortunes, which leads us to finding out that the mysterious person used the disgruntled boy's situation for his own benefit—Hase is part of the conspiracy and has 'kozuka' knives in his possession. There are two 'kozuka' in his possession: one that absorbs the yokai power and the one that gives the power to the wielder. A really cool revelation is 'crowned' by amazing Tatsu artwork in the last manga panel, where Hase is revealed to have a Jumping Crone as his yokai.

Conclusion: Vulnerable People Used for Selfish Deeds

Yukinobu Tatsu's newest chapter is a triumph; the artwork is incredible, the story unfolds at a steady pace, and the characters are remarkable once again. However, what also stands out in this chapter is the confirmation that the mysterious figure (most likely Count Saint-Germain) uses ordinary people's vulnerability for his own evil deeds, and those people are closer to Momo and others more than they could realize. The teachers and other students of Kami High are involved more than ever in this story arc, hinting at the potentially even higher stakes for our characters than in previous arcs like 'Space Globalist' or 'Danmanra.' Exciting chapters await us in the Dandadan manga series.

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