How Dandadan Is Shaping Contemporary Cultural Landscapes

So many superlatives for the Dandadan series have come its way since the first chapter, especially after the release of the anime, which simply blew everyone away with its dynamic and beautiful artwork and, most importantly, storyline and characters. It seems that the popularity of Dandadan reached some of the Western fictional media, in this case comic books, which gave a space for a cameo of our own humble fellow.

Okarun Spotted in Marvel Comic Book Series

We love a good reference, and this time, it seems that our awkward fellow got a cameo in one of the ongoing Marvel comic book series. Specifically, Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity is a comic series that started in 2024, and until now, it's been 29 chapters released at the moment of writing this blog post. The series follows the story of young teen superheroes who are recruited to hone and train their abilities in the special school; a few of the characters include Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Red Goblin, Kid Juggernaut, Captain America of the Railways, and many more.

How did our favorite Ken Takakura find his place in American pieces of media? Well, in one chapter, we can see Academy Avengers being in a coffee shop, and in the background, there is a small teenager with big round glasses sitting and conversing with another person. Of course, the boy is clearly Ken Takakura, also known as Okarun. Fans had a funny speculation that he is most likely sitting with Momo there, probably on some kind of a coffee date, but until the authors confirm, we won't know who Ken is sitting with. Nevertheless, it's incredibly cool seeing anime characters reaching the Western world and featuring in one of the most popular comic books.

Anime Characters Getting Cameos in Comic Books

This isn't the first time a Japanese anime or manga character has been featured in an American comic book series. Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Akira, etc. were pioneers of that, being some of the most popular Japanese pieces of media in the Western hemisphere. However, when it comes to modern anime, or even more specifically, ongoing ones, there have been few recent references in variances. For example, Chainsaw Man got referenced in the Deadpool movie, which was a huge deal when it happened, with Jujutsu Kaisen following shortly after.

American creators love manga and anime; well-known creator Cody Zigler even expressed his love for anime and the fact that he recently visited Japan and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Of course, there are many other anime characters making cameos in comic books, but that will certainly be left for the future and a specific blog post.

Conclusion: Americans LOVE anime and manga

There is not much to say here besides the fact that Americans really love manga and anime. This was never a secret due to the popularity of Japanese media being even more prevalent and rising with every new hit series being released. American creators often cite their love for manga and anime and even credit Japanese content as one of their great inspirations.

In the end, we can safely say that Dandadan 'made it' if we look into the reactions Western audiences had for manga series and especially anime, which absolutely blew everything out of the water. Hopefully, we see more cameos of our favorite characters, this time with more numbers and purpose.