DANDADAN Episode 4 “Kicking Turbo Granny’s Ass” Recap & Spoilers

Since episode one of DanDaDan, viewers have been learning the lore and characters of the series. The beloved and wildly entertaining duo of Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura, nicknamed Okarun, has filled each episode with bursts of laughter and thrilling action sequences, but in episode four, this spotlight has to be shared.

One of the critical characters introduced is Turbo Granny, a ghost who’s been terrorizing mankind for several decades. Through the first three episodes, the Occult Duo, Ayase and Okarun, are stuck dealing with Turbo Granny’s curse on Okarun. Episode three was centered around the plan to fight against the swift elderly ghost, but at last episode four showcases it.

Baiting Turbo Granny Into A Race

The beginning of episode four brings Ayase and Okarun back to the tunnel where Turbo Granny first possessed Okarun. Both are scared to enter the eerie tunnel and start bickering about who will go in first. They form a truce and walk side-by-side, but the bickering continues when they accuse one another of falling behind. Ayase’s light shines on a giant Turbo Granny’s head blocking the way through the tunnel. Okarun freaks out, but Ayase sticks to the plan of running out of Shono City to weaken Turbo Granny. Unfortunately, when they turn around, there is another giant Turbo Granny head, leaving them no room for escape.

The two giant Turbo Granny heads slowly creep in close to Ayase and Okarun. Ayase grabs four baseball bats from Okarun’s bag and uses her levitation to throw all of them at one of the heads. The giant head’s eyes transform into mouths and swallow all four bats to Ayase’s disgust. Okarun asks Ayase to release the physical portion of the curse so he can fight back, but before he can do anything, Turbo Granny takes back the curse. This leaves Okarun powerless. Ayase is able to see the curse is gone with her spiritual powers. After accusing them of stealing her power, the Turbo Granny’s heads rush at the duo with their giant mouths wide open.

Ayase remembers what her Grandmother told her about taunting the elderly ghost into a race and she does just that. Throwing insults at Turbo Granny, Ayase pushes her to play a game of tag. The two giant heads transform into Turbo Granny’s usual petite body and the elderly ghost shows how offended she is by Ayase’s taunts. Believing there’s no way she’ll lose, Turbo Granny agrees to take on the challenge. Once they establish the rules of the match, Ayase and Okarun start running with the promise that they have 10 minutes. Despite Turbo Granny talking about how much she hates cheaters, she counts 10 seconds instead.

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She first grabs Ayase, encasing her in an onslaught of shapeshifting hands which further transform into a solid encasing. Okarun rushes to break Ayase out of the encasement with little success. As Okarun keeps trying to free Ayase, Turbo Granny appears atop the encasement and declares to Okarun that he’s next. This time her counting is even more chaotic as Okarun accuses her of cheating. Turbo Granny explains that Ayase never specified how she is supposed to count and continues her bizarre counting. Sneaking up on Okarun, Turbo Granny reaches a hand to grab him and Okarun thinks of Ayase.

Moved by the genuine moments of his friendship with Ayase, Okarun tackles Turbo Granny and bites her on her chest. Turbo Granny thrashes around to throw Okarun off of him, but the grip of his jaw is unrelenting. Turbo Granny feels a weakness in her body and recognizes it’s from the traditional clothing Okarun has on. She concludes that the only way to stop him is to control him through possession. Taking over Okarun’s body happens easily and within seconds, but she still has to rip off the traditional clothing. Frustrated with how difficult the fight with Okarun was, she questions if he is connected to a “sorcerer.”

After removing more of Okarun’s clothes, Turbo Granny moves on to eat Ayase. She’s stopped in place by an unbearable crushing pain. From the encasement, Ayase’s voice is heard as it’s revealed that she’s mastered the ability to use her powers without sight. With her sense of touch, Ayase crushes Turbo Granny’s true form within Okarun’s body. Despite the pain, Turbo Granny charges at Ayase. At the last second, Ayase maintains complete hold of the elderly ghost. Okarun gains back control of his body, with Ayase holding her hand out toward him, and Turbo Granny is transformed into a little snake stuck to Okarun’s body.

Escaping Shono City And The Reveal of the Location-Based Spirit

Ayase relishes in Turbo Granny’s humiliating state, but the relief is interrupted when a howling voice echoes through the tunnel to “Give Granny back!” The walls of the tunnel crumble as a giant crab crashes through, and snake-shaped Turbo Granny shouts for the crab to kill them, calling it the location-bound spirit. Ayase and Okarun become caught up in the thrashing of the spirit and the opening theme begins play, interrupting the chaos. The Occult duo manages to put some running distance between them and the location-bound spirit, but that only lasts a couple of seconds.

While shouting, Okarun asks why it takes the shape of a crab, and Ayase says there is an explanation — “the dead turn themselves into freshwater crabs to cross the River Styx.” While the location-bound spirit is randomly attacking a street sign, Ayase helps Okarun channel Turbo Granny’s powers. Okarun transforms in the split second before they are attacked and races ahead to escape the location-bound spirit’s territory, Shono City. At the speed Okarun is running and with Ayase’s added weight, he can’t make a curve along their mountain path and wind up freefalling. While Ayase screams cuss words out of stress, Okarun twists his legs with such speed that he floats like a helicopter, but only for a second.

Okarun runs out of strength and they continue their fatal descent. However, Okarun grabs a building ledge to soften their fall. Recovering from their landing, they realize that Okarun has used one of the two full throttles, which is when he is at full speed. The giant crab catches up to them and crash lands, destroying the building behind them. Ayase notices that its back is covered with human faces. As the Occult duo races through Shono City, Ayase is embarrassed by people watching her. They can’t see the giant enemy crab, but they do see a guy giving a girl what looks like a piggyback ride.

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With Okarun’s stamina running low, Ayase decides to take a detour through a bathhouse with multiple floors. Her hope that the building could slow down the rampaging crab is immediately dashed as it destroys the building with ease — the patrons inside believe it’s an explosion. Inside the steaming bathing room, the Occult duo is cornered by the giant crab. Okarun panics, but Ayase uses her powers to break a main water pipe, releasing water hot enough to boil the crab. The heat from the hot springs tenses up the crab’s muscles and it stops moving, giving them a chance to escape.

With the border of Shono City within reach, the Occult duo is faced with a large mob of people possessed by spirits summoned by Turbo Granny from a nearby cemetery. She explains that she still has this much power because she’s within her own territory. With the zombie mob behind them and the giant crab crashing through buildings ahead of them, the Occult duo is trapped again. Ayase asserts that Okarun needs to use his powers again despite the risk that he might not make it outside the city. Okarun transforms and they both ignore Turbo Granny’s insults when they briefly hold hands.

Okarun runs through the zombie mob as Ayase supports his path with her powers, pushing bodies aside to make more room for him. Ayase uses the telekinetic grip of her powers to launch them into the sky and soar between buildings. The giant crab crash lands in front of them, but Ayase throws a car at it, stopping its movement long enough for Okarun to run along its body. He uses the crab as a launching pad to jump ahead. With their route skewed, Ayase grips onto a construction site and redirects them to the right way, swinging in midair with Okarun’s speed.

As they soar through the skies, Ayase notices a train and smiles, until she realizes that Okarun has lost his cursed form. Ayase stops their freefall by channeling her powers into the shape of large hands that act like a parachute. Mustering up his remaining strength, Okarun transforms to give them a safer landing, causing him to reach his limit. The both of them lay on the ground, writhing in pain until Ayase realizes snake Turbo Granny is gone.

A Secret Plan Ends the Fight

Turbo Granny appears between the Occult duo and attacks Okarun with a harsh kick. Ayase tries to block another Turbo Granny kick, but the attack smashes through the defense. With the giant crab and zombie mob caught up to them, Turbo Granny talks down to Ayase and Okarun. Ayase pushes back with insults of her own. Angrier than ever, Turbo Granny fuses back with the location-bound spirit, transforming into a giant Frankenstein fusion of their body parts. Turbo Granny challenges them to escape her, teasing them with another head start. Ayase says it’ll only take one second.

Ayase reaches her arm back, and as another train passes by, she grabs it, launching her and Okarun onto the top of the train. With the trains typically running at 120km per hour, they can finally beat Turbo Granny’s 100km record. Unfortunately, the elderly ghost/giant crab hybrid is able to catch up to them because the train slows down along a curve. This doesn’t bother Ayase as she explains that taunting Turbo Granny was all part of the plan.

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With the giant fused spirit on the train, it’s revealed that Ayase’s Grandma waits along the border between Shono City and Kamigoe City, with warding nails grounded on both sides of the train tracks. Another camera angle reveals dozens of protective talismans marking the border of the cities as well. Ayase holds back the giant as Turbo Granny attempts to slip out of the fusion. The second they pass through the border, both Turbo Granny and the location-bound spirit are destroyed in a bright blue explosion.

The Bittersweet Aftermath

When Turbo Granny and the location-bound spirit are destroyed, several young girls appear flying in the explosion left behind. Ayase is shocked at the sight of them. With Okarun passed out, Ayase pulls him off the train but looks back in time to watch the fading ashes of what looks like Turbo Granny. Okarun suddenly wakes up in a panic, but Ayase assures him that they won.

The next day, Ayase, Okarun, and Ayase’s Grandmother, visit the tunnel to pray for the lives of the girls Ayase saw in the explosion. Ayase’s Grandmother explains that those girls were brutally murdered in the tunnel. Spirit Mediums like her came to realize that Turbo Granny would appear in places like these. Her theory is that Turbo Granny consoled the spirits of the girls who couldn’t rest in peace, though she doesn’t let that justify the elderly ghost’s actions against the living. Hearing the story about the girls brings tears to Ayase’s eyes as her Grandmother explains the complicated coexistence between the living and the dead — a certain level of respect is needed for both sides.

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That night, Okarun visits Ayase’s home to have a crab dinner with her and her Grandmother. As Ayase and her Grandmother fight over crab meat, Okarun offers his portion to them, finding the meal unappetizing after their recent ordeal. When Ayase and Okarun say goodbye for the night, it leaves them feeling off. Before Okarun leaves Ayase’s property, Ayase decides to end the day with “See you tomorrow.” The episode ends with Okarun emotionally moved by the promise that they will still be friends.

Dandadan (2024)

Release Date

September 13, 2024

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Shion Wakayama , Nana Mizuki , Ayane Sakura , Kaito Ishikawa , Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Kaori Maeda , Miyu Tomita , Ryûnosuke Watanuki , Hikaru Tanaka , Seitaro Taniguchi , Satomi Kobashi , Mayuko Kazama , Ryuuzaburou Ootomo

Seasons

1

Character(s)

Ken Okarun Takakura , Momo Ayase , Seiko , Aira Shiratori , Jin Jiji Enjōji , Turbo Granny , Serpoians , Miko , Muko , Momo’s Boyfriend , Male Student A , Male Student B , Elementary School Boy , Flatwoods Monster

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