Dandadan season 2 will have a massive Ranma 1/2 parody

Summary

• Dandadan season 2 will parody Ranma 1/2, with a character that transforms with cold/hot water.

• Jiji's transformation into Evil Eye mode follows Ranma's concept but with unique differences.

• Jiji's powers include superhuman strength and Grduge Construction, an ability that can create constructs.

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the Dandadan manga and anime, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Dandadan season 2 will sing the praises of another currently very popular anime: Ranma 1/2. Dandadan is always known for its outrageous and seemingly random storylines, rules, and references, and if that's one of the things you love about the show, the second season won't disappoint. The Ranma 1/2 parody won't be subtle either, as there will literally be a character that transforms after coming in contact with cold water and reverts to his normal form after touching hot water.

But Ranma 1/2you can expect to see some other parodies, like a spirit medium group that strangely resembles a Japanese rock band called X Japan. There will also be angry spirits who have taken the form of classical musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. However, be sure to manage expectations afterwards Dandadan Anime has removed the faces of real people in the past, probably due to some issues with getting permission to use them. For example, Ken Takakura's (the actor) face is included in one scene in the manga but completely removed in the same scene in the anime.

Jiji's Evil Eye Transformation will rely on cold and hot water

Just like a certain martial artist

You read that right, Momo Ayase's childhood crush, Jiji, will undergo a transformation similar to Okarun and Aira's yokai forms. You've probably already seen what it looks like in Dandadan season 2 trailer (watch it if you haven't yet). Jiji's hair turns white, his eyes turn yellow, and he gains a large third eye in the center of his forehead. What a trailer not show is what triggers Jiji's transformation; and for all who have already seen Ranma 1/2you know where this is going. Like Ranma Saotome and all the other cursed characters from the show, Jiji transforms and reverts back to normal based on the temperature of the water he comes in contact with.

However, this fact doesn't come into play until the second arc of the season. Jiji's first transformation occurs in the Cursed House Arc, which is where Season 2 will begin, and is triggered the moment he accepts the evil eye into his body, and pretty much stays that way until he's knocked out. The following arc, the Evil Eye Arc, is where the details of Jiji's transformation and powers come to full fruition. Jiji still doesn't have control over his powers at this point, so Momo, Okarun, and Aira all have to constantly carry around hot water in case of accidental transformations. In classical Dandadan fashion, this leads to many funny, but dangerous and sometimes even emotional situations.

The similarity between the origin of Jiji and Ranma's transformations

Ranma got his condition by falling into a cursed lake where a girl once drowned. Jiji, on the other hand, got his powers from a house where human sacrifice was performed, where the evil eye yokai himself was the restless spirit of one of the sacrificed victims. Both of their transformations come from places filled with tragic deaths. Although, admittedly, Ranma 1/2plays it off in a more light-hearted way than Dandadan.

The difference between Jiji and Ranma's transformations

Other than Jiji not turning into a girl, of course

There are some differences between Jiji and Ranma, with the big and obvious one being that Jiji's transformation changes more than his physical state. The evil eye takes full control of Jiji's body upon transformation. With Ranma, whenever he turns into a girl, his mind is unchanged, so it's still the same Ranma's mind, just in a girl's body. However, with Jiji, he basically turns into a completely different being after transforming, at least in the beginning, since the whole purpose of the Evil Eye Arc is for Jiji to get a hold of the yokai possessing him.

Another difference is that, unlike Ranma, Jiji's transformation is not just limited to water. Jiji will transform when he comes into contact with any liquid. Soy sauce, juice, ink, you name it, and it will transform the strange but adorable Jiji into a murderous yokai who wants humanity to disappear. Jiji's transformation is also more delicate than Ranma's. Even just drinking cold water or being exposed to his own cold sweat is enough to trigger his Evil Eye transformation, making it much more difficult to keep his transformation under control.

“You're very careful too, Jiji. When you wash your hands, drink water, walk in the rain… the slightest bit of cold water will make you transform.” – Seiko Ayase to Jiji

Jiji's powers in Evil Eye Mode

Grudge Construction

Unlike Ranma, Jiji's Evil Eye form gives him superhuman strength, speed, and durability, allowing him to fight yokai and aliens. These enhanced physical skills are practically self-evident to any human who has yokai powers, such as Okarun and Aira. Also, just like Okarun has incredible speed and Aira has her hair manipulation, each yokai user also has a unique ability. With Jiji and his evil eye, that ability is Grudge Construction, which allows him to create constructs using the grudges of the victims of the Kito family's human sacrifices. Think of Grudge Construction as the Red Lanterns from DC, materializing physical constructs using hate.

Jiji can form grudges to whatever he wants, but there are a few go-to builds that he often uses. The first is the Cursed House, where Jiji creates a construction in the form of a house where he can confine himself and others to either protect or keep them trapped. The house is nearly impenetrable, with Jiji being the only one who can easily enter and exit it.

Jiji's other iconic construct is the Grudge Ball, where he causes his grudge to be compressed into a sphere roughly the size of a football/soccer. He can then launch Grudge Ball with a kick at the enemy, and even if the enemy manages to dodge it, the ball will just bounce back off whatever it hits and target the enemy once more. This move is reminiscent of Yamcha's Spirit Ball from Dragon Ball. A nasty ball of pain that repeatedly hits its target until the user decides to stop. Jiji can create multiple Grudge Balls at once, all ricocheting off surfaces and hitting their opponent, while Jiji himself can engage them in melee.

Dandadan is now available for streaming on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Muse Asia and several other streaming platforms.