Dandadan – Chapter 158 Recap & Review

That Kawabanga Girl

Chapter 158 of Dandadan begins with Turbo Granny asking Rin to put the Cursed Trunk on the Black Cloth. Remember, our heroes and their friends are inside the Cursed Trunk which we initially thought was a board game diorama world. That aside, Turbo Granny warns Rin not to topple the Cursed Trunk over.

Turbo Granny tells Rin she can remove every figurine inside the Cursed Trunk afterward. The figurines represent the people inside the Cursed Trunk. Turbo Granny says if Rin breaks a figurine that person will die. Rin reminds Turbo Granny if they touch it with their hands, they’ll enter the Cursed Trunk. Therefore, Rin wonders if she should use tree branches to place the Cursed Trunk on the Black Cloth.

Unfortunately, someone gets sent inside the Cursed Trunk and Turbo Granny scolds Rin for doing that. Turbo Granny suggests Rin let Kawabanga use the Black Cords to lift the Cursed Trunk onto the Black Cloth. Turbo Granny says Kawabanga resists curses. Kawabanga refuses to help because it doesn’t like Turbo Granny.

However, Kawabanga says Rin can do it since she’s haunting her. Kawabanga engulfs Rin in a dark aura and grants her an erotic idol outfit. Kawabanga says Rin can save everyone through the power of music. She asks the old man and the others to cheer Rin on. If they do, Rin’s outfit will receive a power boost. Moreover, Kawabanga wants Rin to start singing, otherwise Rin will stay in that outfit forever.

Meanwhile, Okarun and the others notice something’s happening inside the Cursed Trunk. Okarun calls out to Rin and tells her to do something. Suddenly, everyone besides Momo starts flying in the air. Momo grabs Okarun’s hand and everyone’s speechless.

Suddenly, we cut to a panel featuring Rin and the others. Rin uses her singing powers to manipulate gravity. The chapter ends with Rin lifting the figurines in the air via her powers.

The Chapter Review

This chapter captures Dandadan’s unpredictable and wacky nature wonderfully through the events that unfold between Rin and the others. Rin’s had her moments but felt underutilized in this arc much like Okarun and Momo’s other companions. Moreover, unlike the others, Rin didn’t receive any type of power boost that’d put her on par with the others regarding strength and usefulness. 

Fortunately, Kawabanga gives Rin just that. Feeling like an homage to Kill La Kill’s Ryoko Matoi and My Hero Academia’s Ochaco Uraraka, Rin’s idol design offers touches of humor and amazement. While some will find her outfit overly erotic, others won’t mind the design as it captures the series’s nonsensical tone well. Moreover, it fits with the other bizarre heroic designs Tatsu Yukinobu has created (so far). 

Additionally, it’s great that our heroes will be able to flee the Cursed Trunk. Hopefully, they can free Zuma from the Fairy Tale Card’s control. Although this wasn’t a mind-blowing chapter, it’ll leave fans wondering what Yukinobu has planned for this story arc’s finale.