Dandadan: Flatwoods Monster, Explained

Important takeaways

  • Dandadan
    mixes horror, humor and action while exploring the supernatural through two teenagers.
  • The Flatwood Monster from Episode 2 is inspired by a real-life encounter with aliens from 1952 in West Virginia.
  • The Flatwood Monster i
    Dandadan
    exhibiting immense strength, poisonous mist abilities, and loyalty to the Serpo Aliens.



Yukinobu Tatsu's unique ability to fuse the paranormal and otherworldly to render compelling stories truly shines through in his magnum opus, Dandadan. The series mixes horror and humor while delivering action-packed and otherworldly stories about two teenagers exploring the supernatural.

In episode 2, titled “That's a Space Alien, Ain't It?!” Dandadan introduces the Flatwood Monster, an alien working under the command of his superior, the Serpo Aliens. At first, the towering creature may appear to be a figment of Yukinobu's rich and extraordinary imagination. But it turns out that it draws inspiration from an infamous encounter with extraterrestrials that was reported back in the early 1950s. In this article, we delve deep into the origins of the Flatwood Monster and explore how it influenced Yukinobu's work.


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The origin of the myth of the Flatwood Monster

A meteor or a legitimate alien encounter?

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On September 12, 1952, a bright object was seen across the sky in the West Virginia town of Flatwoods. When eyewitnesses went to investigate, they reported seeing a pulsating red light that caught their attention. Curious to get to the bottom of it, they decided to look near the hill where the bright object was originally seen. According to eyewitness reports, as they got closer, they encountered a 10-foot-tall man-like figure that had an ace of space-shaped head, a round blood-red face, and claw-like hands.


Later when the news spread, a local sheriff and a deputy investigated the area but found nothing unusual. However, that didn't stop the story from becoming national news as reporters flocked to the area to investigate and draw their own conclusions. But even seven decades later, no conclusive evidence has been found to confirm the eyewitness story. Although there are several theories about the event, the most accepted one is proposed by Committee for Skeptical Investigation Joe Nickell, who claims that the witnesses probably saw a meteor. This was most likely the case as several meteor sightings were reported from various locations in the United States that same year on September 12.

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Joe also had an explanation for the bizarre extraterrestrial encounter that eyewitnesses had that day. According to him, the people at ground zero probably encountered a barn owl, which they mistook for a humanoid creature from another world. He claims that the shadow most likely made the bird appear larger than usual, an illusion that was further enhanced by their heightened state of anxiety. Despite several investigations in the area, no evidence of extraterrestrial life has ever been found. However, the lack of evidence did not stop people from making their theories and the myth of the Flatwoods monster continues to persist decades after the event.


Flatwood Monster in Dandadan

The series is heavily influenced by eyewitness accounts of the 1952 incident

Yukinobu Tatsu's Dandadan borrows ideas from real-life aliens and cryptic myths, including the Flatwood Monster. Like the alien from West Virginia, the Flatwood Monster in the series is also 10 feet tall and was first seen in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County. In the following years, there were reports of its sightings in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture. Flatwood Monster is quite muscular and built like a sumo wrestler in the anime. Its mouth is rectangular and moves mechanically, while its head is surrounded by a mysterious hood. Being quite tall and having a giant belly, the Flatwood Monster can potentially weigh several tons.


Interestingly, the Flatwood monster is subordinate to the Serpos and is also an alien like them. Due to its colossal size and sumo wrestler-like build, it can generate terrifying power using sumo-style foot stomps. These are extremely dangerous to anyone nearby as the power can even kill a normal human.

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The Flatwood monster's strength can dramatically change to a weakness when its body begins to disintegrate upon contact with the ground, for some inexplicable reason. It's almost as if the alien can only fight in an upright sumo stance. However, should this happen, the Flatwood monster's bone generation ability allows it to grow new pairs of bones immediately to stabilize the rest of its body.


The real-life eyewitness of the 1952 West Virginia incident had claimed to feel sick and smell a pungent mist shortly after encountering the 10-foot-tall man-like figure. Yukinobu seems to have borrowed the idea to give the Flatwood Monster in the anime the power to emit a poisonous black mist that causes nosebleeds. The alien uses the noxious mist to attack Okarun and Momo, forcing them out of their hiding places.

Despite being incredibly strong, the Flatwood Monster is surprisingly docile to Serpo Aliens. It remains fixated on its task of obtaining Okarun and Momo's banana organs when it encounters them. The alien almost single-handedly manages to defeat the eccentric duo with supernatural powers. But Momo's quick thinking allows the two friends to put the talisman in place, after which it burns to ashes and dies.

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Based on Yukinobu Tatsu's popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan blends action, comedy, romance, and supernatural suspense to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the extraordinary, although the former believes in ghosts and the latter believes in aliens. Determined to confirm their side's existence, they set out to find their evidence.

Release date
October 3, 2024

Studio
Science Saru

Creator
Yukinobu Tatsu

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