Dandadan Season Finale Includes a Clever Anime Easter Egg You May Have Missed

One of the best new anime of 2024, Dandadan, reached the final episode of its hugely popular first season. A series defined by its incredible mix of genres, strong character writing, and absurd plot elements, fans have fallen in love with Momo and Okarun's weird and wonderful paranormal adventures. And amidst all the strange plot developments throughout the anime, Dandadan Don't miss the opportunity to mention your inspirationsor occasionally include a random pop culture reference.

Whether with callbacks to influential series like Ultraman and Science SARU itself Crying Demonor references to popular ABBA music, Dandadan seems to enjoy checking whether his viewers are paying enough attention to catch his little details. The season finale, titled "Let's Go to the Cursed House", also contains an unexpected reference, and this time The series is reminiscent of one of the greatest sports anime of all time.

Jiji and Okarun sing Slam Dunk themes

Okarun starts singing the final song of Slam Dunk, Jiji responds with the opening

Jiji's arrival marks the beginning of a character change by half DandadanThe two protagonists, Okarun. Momo's childhood friend and quintessential 'nice' guy, Jiji immediately considers Okarun a threat in his quest for Momo's heart. The dynamic between the two characters doesn't exactly work out that way, however, as Jiji quickly reveals that he's just a big jerk. Observing his new rival and first love getting along, Okarun intervenes and surrounds Jiji, preventing him from getting close to Momo.

Complete with the sound of squeaking shoes, Okarun begins to scream "Anata Dake Mitsumeteru", the first ending theme of the 1993 anime adaptation of Dunkwhile also displaying foot speed that would certainly impress some basketball scouts. The intimidation tactic doesn't work in his favor as Jiji quickly springs into action while singing DunkThe first opening theme of, "Kimi Ga Suki da to Sakebitai".

The one-sided rivalry between DandadanThe top two male cast members end up in a one-sided defeat. Not only does Jiji perfectly act as a benchmark, but he is also able to match Okarun's impressive speed. With his size, basketball scouts would certainly notice Jiji's athleticism first. The complete lack of awareness on your part about what Okarun was actually trying to do is not only funny, but talks about building the relationship between them.

Jiji and Okarun are Dandadan's version of Rukawa and Sakuragi from Slam Dunk

Dandadan Rivals Call Back Slam Dunk Enemies

THE Dunk the reference may seem totally random on the surface, but there is a connection to be made. Okarun's feelings towards Jiji They are very reminiscent of Sakuragi's intense jealousy towards Rukawa in one of the most iconic sports anime of all time. Sakuragi, an unskilled basketball player, couldn't stand the immensely talented and sycophantic Rukawa, who happened to be the main love interest of Sakuragi's crush, Haruko. The parallels are there, although Jiji is much kinder than Rukawa ever was.

DandadanThe first season has officially come to an end, but just before reaching its final point, the series simply had to include one more reference to another incredibly popular anime. Fans shouldn't be too disappointed with the conclusion, however, as DandadanThe second season of has been officially announced to begin airing in July 2025. Viewers can't get enough of 2024's most exciting new anime, and you won't have to wait long for more.