Dandadan Vol. 15

Dandadan has officially released the English translation of its fifteenth volume, and considering the fourteenth volume closed out a long-running arc, it was time for Dandadan to explore completely new ground. I went into this volume without knowing what to expect at all, and while what I found was far from my favourite material that Tatsu has ever put to paper, I think that Dandadan Vol. 15 speaks to a different kind of quality – specifically, potential for the future.

There’s a lot to talk about with the drop of this new volume, and I’m here to go over everything that Dandadan Vol. 15 has to offer. So, let’s not waste any more time! A warning – this is a spoiler review! Be sure to read Dandadan Vol. 15 before reading on (chapters 121-129)! It’s time to talk about all things Dandadan Vol. 15!

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Dandadan Vol. 15 Review

Image by VIZ Media

After the fourteenth volume of Dandadan concluded with a teaser of his arrival, the opening chapters of Dandadan Vol. 15 introduce us to Saint-Germain, a compelling new character, with perhaps the most mysterious vibe to him of any character that the series has ever introduced. Unfortunately, if you were hoping that Dandadan Vol. 15 was going to tell us more about this character, then I have bad news for you. Despite his appearance on the volume’s official cover art, Saint-Germain practically disappears from this volume after the first couple of chapters. I’m excited to see what he eventually develops into, and I’m willing to wait for now. However, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little bit tricked by Dandadan Vol. 15’s advertising of the character. Perhaps Vol. 16 will reveal more regarding his role in the story.

While Saint-Germain fades into relative obscurity in this volume, Dandadan Vol. 15 takes another character and places her front and centre, in a move that I’m not too thrilled about. Dandadan Vol. 15 covers the Onbusuman Arc, a story arc centring around a yōkai that has been haunting Rin Sawaki, of all people. If you forgot who Rin was, you’d be forgiven, as I only remember her because of her recent appearance in the DAN DA DAN anime, as opposed to the manga. Up until now, Rin’s presence in Dandadan was not a particularly appreciated one, with her coming across as a very entitled and irritating side character, a trope that has been fulfilled on the main cast by Aira. In some ways, Rin reminds me of Toko Fukawa from Danganronpa – which is not a compliment by the way.

Rin’s presence in Dandadan Vol. 15 is irritating to me for multiple reasons. Firstly, I’m now fully over this gag that every single female character in this manga is in love with Okarun. It’s not only completely unrealistic, but at this point, it’s getting stale. We now have Momo, Aira, Rin, and if you count her, even Vamola, expressing romantic interest in Okarun. There has to be more we can do with these characters than this. Momo and Aira are given a funny dynamic based on their mutual interest in Okarun – let’s leave the list of his potential suitors there. On the topic of Aira, I’m also not particularly happy that Rin’s inclusion led to the complete abandonment of Aira and Jiji in this volume. I would like, as much as possible, to keep Aira and Jiji feeling like members of the main group, rather than rotating characters out this frequently.

Image by VIZ Media

Now, with that being said, I did enjoy the exploration of Rin’s backstory that we got in Dandadan Vol. 15. Did it make me love the character completely? No, not really. However, it did give her more dimension than her initial gags would have had me believe she was ever going to get. In fact, Dandadan Vol. 15 does deserve credit for crafting what I believe to be the series’ most depressing backstory since Acro-Silky’s way back in the early days of the manga. If there’s one thing Dandadan loves to do, it’s subvert expectations, and once again, I was completely blindsided by how heavy Rin’s backstory was. It’s an element of the series that I love, so I was glad to see it here.

As per usual, the artwork in Dandadan Vol. 15 was absolutely stunning. However, where this volume stood out was in Chapter 126, a chapter that I believe to be a series highlight from a visual perspective. The artwork of our protagonists running from a giant possessed school building is awe-inspiring, and the return of the Hayashi was unexpected, but a welcome surprise. In this sense, Dandadan Vol. 15 is a real triumph. However, what makes this whole section special is not its manga presence. Rather, I think that Dandadan Vol. 15 has unlimited potential regarding the series’ anime adaptation. This whole sequence is likely to make for a phenomenal 2-3 episodes of anime, with its combination of the Hayashi’s music, Rin’s vocal performance, and Science SARU’s animation. In the manga, it hit a nice spot – in the anime, it could be absolutely incredible.

I also found the resolution of Dandadan Vol. 15 to be satisfyingly bittersweet. It had emotional impact, and it was pulled-off well, which is all you can really ask for when you’re dealing with a small, side-story arc like this. I will say, the whole thing felt extremely reminiscent of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, with Yuta and Rika’s story. However, I loved Jujutsu Kaisen 0, so I’m not complaining. Dare I say though, this was one of the first times that Dandadan has felt a little derivative of its competitors. The series is usually so obnoxiously original, so even though this whole storyline was done well, for once I didn’t feel like Dandadan blindsided me once the arc had wrapped-up.

Image by VIZ Media

However, I do have a serious criticism that I have to give Dandadan Vol. 15. Dandadan has a real tendency to undercut its own emotional impact by introducing some sort of twist in the end, and jumping to what feels like a happy ending, after setting up a devastating one. This happened as recently as the fourteenth volume, when it was revealed that the Sumerians and the self-sacrificing Serpo were all alive and dandy. Now, we see that Mai, despite the entire emotional set-up of Vol. 15 revolving around her death, lives on by Rin’s side as a spirit. Sure, she’s not magically resurrected, but what could have been a very emotional goodbye between Rin and Mai, has been turned into a new opportunity for comic relief. I feel like Dandadan never wants to go all the way with its more sad stories, and sometimes, I wish it would be confident enough in itself to do so.

Ultimately, I think Dandadan Vol. 15 is going to hit a lot harder once it hits the screen. The entire action sequence that occupies the middle chunk of the volume is going to make for some very entertaining episodes, and I think when paired with the right animation and music, Rin’s backstory involving Mai is going to be a lot more touching. However, on paper, this volume was only good, when compared to the past few volumes that have been great. A nice departure from the main, unfolding story, but I hope that we get back to what we know once the sixteenth volume releases.

Dandadan Vol. 16 is scheduled to release on December 9, 2025, so mark your calendars! What did you think of this volume of the series? Did you enjoy Dandadan Vol. 15? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and many thanks for reading!

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