by The TV anime Dandadan will air in the fall of 2024. It is a story of occult battles and youth featuring Momo, who encounters an alien and gains supernatural powers, and Okarun, who can transform after being cursed by a monster.
The original work is a manga of the same name, which was ranked 4th in the men’s edition of Takarajimasha’s “This Manga is Amazing! 2022” after “Look Back,” “Chi. – About the Movement of the Earth,” and “Kaiju No. 8.”
This article summarizes basic information about the Dover Demon (the Shako Alien) in the anime Dandadan and about the voice actor Seki Tomokazu.
What is the anime “Dandadan”?
Momo (Ayase Momo), born into a family of spiritualists, believes in ghosts but not UFOs or aliens. She gets into an argument with Okarun (Takakura Ken), a boy who likes the occult, such as UFOs and aliens, but doesn’t believe in ghosts.
To get the other person to accept what she believes, Momo heads to an abandoned hospital known as a UFO mecca, while Okarun goes to a famous haunted spot. They encounter something strange in each place. An alien tampers with Momo’s brainwaves, awakening her psychic powers, while Okarun is captured by a monster and cursed. This incident leads the two to fight various aliens and monsters.
The original work is a manga of the same name by Yukinobu Tatsu. It is currently being serialized on Shueisha’s web manga distribution service “Shonen Jump +,” which also publishes “SPY × FAMILY” and “Chainsaw Man.” It won first place in the 17th “Recommended Comics Selected by Booksellers Nationwide” (2022).
Basic information about the Shako Alien from the anime “Dandadan”! Which episode did they first appear in?
The Dover Demon in Dandadan is an alien that can unleash a powerful punch. It is called the Shako Alien because it has characteristics similar to a mantis shrimp. It first appeared in episode 8 of the anime and in volume 3, episode 20 of the original manga comics. The Serpo Alien hired it to fight against Momo, Okarun, and Aila.
He is a sturdy alien who likes to end his sentences with “desu.” When fighting Okarun and his friends, he repeats a spell-like phrase: “Chiquichita, Yumenaikar”. The Serpo people call him “Gig Worker.”
After losing his fight with Momo and his friends, the Shako Alien appears in front of Momo and Aila again, wholly battered. The Shako Alien shows his will to fight but collapses on the spot and is taken to Momo’s house to be treated. He thanks Momo for treating him kindly, even though he was their enemy, and promises never to hurt Momo and his friends again.
In episode 10, Momo’s grandmother, Seiko, discovers that the blood of the Shako aliens is the same as that of milk. The Shako aliens leave on a UFO in episode 10, but Seiko never acknowledges them as aliens until the end, instead recognizing them as kappa.
Who is Seki Tomokazu, the voice actor for the Shako alien?
The voice actor who plays the Dover Demon (Shako Alien) in the anime “Dandadan” is Tomokazu Seki. Seki made his voice acting debut in 1991, and in 1994, he played the role of Domon Kasshu, the main character in “Mobile Fighter G Gundam.”
Since the show began in 2018, he has been the Friday MC on Abema’s daily program, “Seiyuu to Yoasobi,” in which different voice actors serve as MCs on other days.
Some of the notable characters that Seki has played so far include Honekawa Suneo in “Doraemon” (from April 2005), Hashida Itaru (Daru) in “STEINS; GATE,” Kogami Shinya in “PSYCHO-PASS,” Shinazugawa Sanemi in “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” and Panda in “Jujutsu Kaisen.”
He is known for using various voices depending on the character. When he appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel “Video, Hajimemashita [TV Asahi Official]” in a project called “Mitsuya Yuji’s Voice Actor Collection,” he instantly played the different characters even when cards with the names of the characters he played were played one after another.
What are the abilities and strengths of the Shako aliens in the anime “Dandadan”?
The Shako Alien wears boxing gloves on his hands and fights in a boxing style. This was not shown in the original work, but the number “3510” was written on the glove in the anime.
Although she delivers a powerful punch, Aila, transformed with the power of Acrobatic Sarrasara, can avoid her attacks in many scenes unless the Serpo aliens cooperate, so Aila is superior in speed.
In episode 9, he was knocked down by Okarun’s body slam but revived when the Serpo alien stretched a communication cable from his crotch and stabbed it into the head of the Shako alien. The revived Shako alien had a thinner head than its previous appearance and was transformed into a mantis shrimp.
Mantis Shrimp Aliens cannot punch seriously on land. Their punching power is 10 times more substantial underwater than on land. Still, they have the disadvantage of being unable to stay underwater for long periods because they breathe with their lungs and need to breathe.
Serpo alien Nessie combined
In the second half of episode 9, he combines with the Serpo alien and Nessie using a communication cable to become an alien, compensating for each of their weaknesses.
Momo deduces that the Shako Alien’s punch is the same as that of a living creature called a mantis shrimp and that he can only punch seriously underwater. The moment the combined alien tries to punch underwater, Momo’s psychic powers splash the water around, and the arm punched without water bursts from the impact. The combined alien loses his arm and is defeated by Okarun’s attack.
What kind of illness does the Shaco alien’s son, Chiquitita, have?
Shako’s son, Chiquitita, has a disease that causes the blood in his body to flow out through urine and feces, and if he does not take in new blood every day, he will die. Shako’s wife also died of the same disease. Much money was needed to treat Chiquitita, but the place where Shako lived was a conflict zone, and there was no supply capacity, so he needed to earn foreign currency.
The Dover Demon is a strong alien who is available for bodyguard work. However, since the Shako alien is a lowlife, he is only available for dangerous jobs and is hired by the Serpo alien.
When Hoshiko smells the bandage of the Shako Alien, it smells the same as when you wipe milk with a rag. When she gives the Shako Alien milk, she discovers that the blood of the Shako Alien and the milk are the same. Hoshiko asks a dairy farmer she knows to give him a cow, and the Shako Alien takes off in a UFO with the cow to provide milk to his son.
What is the origin of the Shako alien?
There are rumors on the Internet that the name of the Dover Demon may be based on the UMA of the same name, the “Dover Demon,” which is said to have been spotted in Massachusetts, USA. However, the UMA “Dover Demon” is an alien with a gray-like appearance and does not resemble the Dover Demon from “Dandadan.”
In the play, when Hoshiko sees the Shako Alien, she asks if it might be a kappa, to which Okarun responds, “There’s a theory that kappa is aliens.” The transformed form has characteristics similar to those of a Shako.
Regarding the appearance of the Shako Alien, some people on social media have commented that it resembles Kanegon, a monster that eats money that appears in the Ultraman series. Kanegon is a monster that will die if it does not eat 3,510 yen a day, and since the number “3510” is written on the Shako Alien’s glove in the anime, it has been speculated that this may be a homage to Kanegon.
Additionally, social media posts claimed that the Shako alien’s transformed form looked just like the Baltan alien from “Ultraman.”
In an interview, Ryu, the original author of “Dandadan,” said that he likes the art books of Toru Narita, who designed the aliens and monsters in “Ultraman.” Perhaps Ryu was inspired by Kanegon, Baltan, kappa, mantis shrimp, and other creatures when designing the Mantis shrimp.
summary
Dover Demon is an alien employed by the Serpo people. He goes by the nickname Shako, and his punching power increases ten times in water. He is trying to earn foreign currency to pay for the treatment of his sick son, Chiquitita.
TTomokazu Seki is the voice actor who plays the Dover Demon in the anime “Dandadan Seki’s representative works include the roles of Suneo Honekawa in “Doraemon,” “Gilgamesh in “Fate/stays Night,” Sanemi Shinazugawa in “Demon Slayer,” and tanda in “Jujutsu Kaisen.”
