Dandadan Vol. 13

After the first season of Yukinobu Tatsu’s Dandadan aired back in October 2024, I was simply too invested in the weird world that had been created to wait for more. I stand firmly on the belief that Dandadan is offering one of the strongest, most unique, and most unapologetically bizarre shonen experiences of the modern era, and though Season 2 is just around the corner, I had to dive into the manga to fill the void the series left when it went off the air.

What a decision that was. With its newest release, its thirteenth volume, Dandadan has reached heights hitherto unseen for the series – and it was an incredible manga before this even released! There’s so much to talk about with the drop of this new volume, and I’m here to do just that – as you can probably tell from our star score, I’m very excited to go into detail on just what makes Dandadan Vol. 13 so incredible. So, let’s not waste any more time! It’s time to talk at length about all things Dandadan Vol. 13!

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Dandadan Vol. 13 Review

Image by VIZ Media

After the last volume of Dandadan left readers on quite a cliffhanger, right in the middle of its exploration of Vamola’s tragic backstory, a continuation of this tale was the first thing on my mind as I opened Dandadan Vol. 13, and luckily, it delivered. The story picks up right where it left off, as I wondered how exactly Tatsu was going to make me feel sympathy towards a character that had been portrayed somewhat antagonistically before now. Not to discredit the series, but Dandadan can sometimes be a little cyclical, what with how it can sometimes feel like constant back-to-back attacks from ghosts and aliens that our heroes inevitably overcome. This backstory breaks this cycle, and is easily the most hooked on the series I’ve been in a long time.

As Vamola’s story continues on, I started to remember how hard Dandadan can hit its readers emotionally – when it wants to at least. I don’t think the series has been this emotionally-oriented since Acrobatic Silky’s backstory, way back in Vol. 3. Dandadan is certainly not afraid to explore cruelty and brutality, which does open up the opportunity for some very hard-hitting, tragic moments, but I also think that the success of the series’ sadder moments also owes a lot to Dandadan’s otherwise constant eccentricity. There’s a resignation involved, on the reader’s part, to the weirdness going on in this story, a resignation that just makes the series’ more sombre moments hit all the harder. For this volume, it also helps that this is easily the scariest that the aliens have ever been in Dandadan. They were always a threat, but almost felt like comic relief in older chapters – now, they’re the most formidable foe that we’ve ever seen in this series, and by a fairly long shot.

Not only are the aliens given more characterisation in this volume, but we also get to see Vamola’s entire journey through her eyes. Every character in Dandadan is, in some way, strange. So, it was really quite natural that Vamola’s introduction would see her nonsensically kissing Okarun and seeking his hand in marriage. I never expected her actions to be completely contextualised, so this was a very nice surprise. With her promise to Banga to keep the Sumerian race alive, her introduction suddenly makes a lot of sense, as does her apparent ‘leading’ of the aliens to Earth. I knew I would end up feeling awful for her when we saw a new perspective on the scene where Momo sends her away from their home, but I didn’t expect to feel this bad. Just when I think I have it figured out, Dandadan manages to throw me off-course, but I’m completely on-board for the wild ride.

Image by VIZ Media

However, though Dandadan has gotten serious and emotional before, Dandadan Vol. 13 is a very exciting new frontier for the series. Amidst all this carnage and chaos, even the Serpo get sympathetic moments – the Serpo! You know, those guys whose entire characters revolved around stealing human genitals? I never would’ve expected to feel bad when one of them made himself a martyr, and yet I did. I predict that the events of Dandadan Vol. 13 (and the subsequent events of Vol. 14) will likely be the series’ standout arc when we eventually get to this point in the anime. High stakes, emotional moments, and a real sense of consequence – I don’t think we’ve ever seen the series reach heights like this before.

The stakes are also heightened by just how terrifying the aliens are in this volume. Dandadan has had some terrifying villains – I still think about Reiko Kashima from time to time, and wonder how Momo is coping with that trauma. However, there was always a sense of security, a feeling that our characters were ultimately safe. Dandadan Vol. 13 marks the first time in the series that I feel like our protagonists are in real danger, that we genuinely may not all make it out of this. Vamola’s backstory showed us exactly what these aliens are capable of, and boy, was the ‘show not tell’ approach effective.

Okarun is on the sidelines for the majority of Dandadan Vol. 13, but aside from him, our characters all get some great time to shine in this volume. Really, getting any hits in against these aliens is a triumph, and all of our main characters get their moments in this sense. However, though most of the volume is centred around Vamola, Momo was the real star of the show here. Seeing her awaken a new level of her psychic powers was incredible, and her battle against the aliens was thrilling, a masterclass in enhancing action sequences by combining beautiful artwork with emotional investment. Dandadan has never been quaint and reserved, but this is really a new level for the series.

Image by VIZ Media

Up until now, the ghost side of Dandadan was my favourite. I’m a huge horror fan, and coincidentally, I don’t like sci-fi all that much, so the exploration of ghosts and the spirit world was always more appealing to me that the alien elements of the story. However, I think Dandadan Vol. 13 may have switched up my thought process. I still think there’s a real beauty in how this series explores hauntings, but this depiction of the Dandadan universe’s aliens has swayed me to that side of the story – I’m going to need the ghosts to bring a threat of this level to the series so that I can reconnect with my roots.

Unfortunately, Dandadan Vol. 13 did eventually come to an end, and there was a real tinge of sadness as I closed the final page – but wow, what a final page it was! The final two panels of Dandadan Vol. 13 are potentially my favourite in the entire manga, and I cannot wait to see the inclusion of the Evil Eye in this battle when the next volume releases. The only thing missing from this volume that I would have liked to see would have been Vamola getting her own damage in against these aliens that ruined her home planet, but I’m sure we’ll get to see her shine a little more in Vol. 14 – after all, she was severely injured for quite a chunk of Dandadan Vol. 13. The fight is getting taken to the next level as this volume concludes, and I cannot wait until the next volume releases.

Luckily, we won’t be waiting too long for that day to come! Dandadan Vol. 14 is scheduled to release on August 5, 2025, and I will definitely be there day one to see where Tatsu takes this story next. Dandadan Vol. 13 was a masterclass in shonen manga, and easily my favourite volume in the entire Dandadan manga series – but what did you think? Did you love this volume as much as we did? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and many thanks for reading!

See also: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 26 Review

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