Turbo Granny Arc, explained

Important takeaways

• Turbo Granny's background is about protecting young girls who have been victims of evil acts in the tunnel.
• Okarun gains Turbo Granny's abilities after being possessed and needs help to control her powers.
• Taunting Turbo Granny and luring her out of Shono City is an effective strategy to defeat her.

Dandadan is a Japanese manga created in 2021 that was adapted into an anime in October 2024 featuring the same intense supernatural encounters with enemies as Turbo Granny. Turbo Granny eventually becomes an integral part of Dandadanregularly appears as both an antagonist and a character who sometimes helps Momo and Okarun.

Turbo Granny had a major impact on the show's main characters in the first season. There is a lot to explore about her character, and exactly where she comes from, and even her motivations. She is much more than just a simple villain for Momo and Okarun to defeat.

What is Turbo Granny's background and motivation?

There is much more to the character than just being an antagonist

Although Turbo Granny initially appears as a Yokai villain that Momo and Okarun must defeat, there is much more to the character than meets the eye. Eventually it is revealed why Turbo Granny has decided to live in the tunnel. Momo's grandmother reveals that the tunnel is where a group of young girls were taken against their will and killed by evil men. Soon after these passings, Turbo Granny moved into the tunnel as a way to give the spirits peace before they passed on.

Many fans noticed when Turbo Granny saved Momo in the first episode and took her out of the Serpoian UFO that was close to doing horrific acts just like what happened to the girls in the tunnel. This further proves Turbo Granny's need to protect young girls who may be vulnerable in a situation where they cannot fight back. However, despite Turbo Granny's good intentions, she also ends up attacking innocent people who enter the tunnel.

Meeting Turbo Granny In The Tunnel

Momo and Okarun try to explore the spirit world

When Momo and Okarun meet for the first time in Dandadan anime, they both want to prove to the other that their interest exists. Momo believes in spirits, while Okarun believes in aliens. As they begin their journey together, they explore a tunnel where Turbo Granny apparently lives. Eventually, Okarun runs into the Yokai spirit and tries to escape, but fails due to Turbo Granny's immense speed. He then becomes possessed by the spirit and arrives to save Momo from the Serpo aliens who want to kill her.

Although this first encounter results in Okarun becoming possessed by Turbo Granny, it is also when Momo is able to awaken her psychic powers against the Serpo aliens, allowing her and Okarun to work together with their abilities to stop their enemies. However, Turbo Granny was able to possess Okarun by stealing his “banana organ”, ultimately leading to the overall Turbo Granny arc to retrieve Okarun's belongings. Although Turbo Granny seems to hold a grudge against Okarun, she seems to have a soft spot for Momo as she protects her and is there when she awakens her powers.

Okarun's possession and new powers

Okarun gains Turbo Granny's abilities

Although Okarun's “banana organ” is now missing, he possesses many of Turbo Granny's powers and abilities, allowing him to fight alongside Momo. But she must hold back his curse to keep him from spiraling out of control. Whenever she is not around him, such as after their defeat of the Flatwoods monster, Okarun begins to lose control of his Turbo Granny abilities and even tries to eat Momo at one point before being stopped by Momo's grandmother.

Although cursed, Okarun's abilities include fast speed and reflexes, and he can also go All-Out to increase his strength and attack enemies. He can also withstand intense attacks and survive his own launch abilities. When paired with Momo, who can hold back Okarun's curse and allow him to bring out his powers at will, the two become unstoppable against almost any enemy, including Turbo Granny when the final battle comes.

Defeat Turbo Granny in a Game of Tag

Mocking Turbo Granny is the best way to go

Turbo Granny is not without her weaknesses, and one of the easiest things to do to control the mighty Yokai is to taunt her. Momo learns this from her grandmother, who suggests they stop her by luring her out of Shono City, where she is most powerful. This is because she has merged with a location-bound spirit. These are spirits that are attached to a specific location, and as soon as they leave that space, they become much weaker. Therefore, luring these spirits outside of Shono City makes it much easier for Momo and Okarun to defeat them.

As Momo's grandmother suggested, Momo and Okarun can easily lure Turbo Granny from their area by taunting her and challenging her to a game of tag. This is because Turbo Granny is incredibly fast, and always follows the rules. Despite some initial mishaps, Momo and Okarun are able to get her out of Shono City, and they watch as she collapses in front of them.

After her defeat, the two friends notice that the spirits of the young girls found in the tunnel are also released. This most likely means that they can now move on and no longer have to live as evil spirits, despite Turbo Granny first comforting them inside the tunnel. However, soon after Turbo Granny is defeated, she returns as a possessed maneki-neko, eventually becoming a supporting character to the main characters. This is due to the fact that Turbo Granny always had good intentions to protect young girls and can now help Momo and Okarun take on other evil forces.

Dandadan currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix.