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The Pygmies (小人 Kobito?) are a race of minuscule beings who are invisible natives of Earth.
In Dandadan, they serve as supporting antagonists during the Kozuka Knives Arc, but soon join the History and Culture Research Club's side along with Koki Yukishiro.
Physical Characteristics[]
The masks worn by the pygmies.
Pygmies are extremely small, being 5cm tall and impossible for average size humans to detect, even if they have spiritual awareness. Much like the Serpo, they are all identical. Their bodies are cone-shaped with stick figure limbs and are depicted having teary eyes and a dark mustache.
For a majority of their debut, they wore a mask with round eyes, a petite nose, an open mouth lined with rows of teeth, and three ☰ trigram markings adorning the cheeks and forehead.
Psychological Characteristics[]
Pygmies have a strong desire to have their existence be acknowledged by humans, and once acknowledged by a perceiver, they pledge their fidelity to them.
Inter-species Relationships[]
Pygmies are currently loyal to Koki Yukishiro.
Abilities and Powers[]
A swarm of pygmies surrounding Koki as seen from the perspective of a non-perceiver.
Small Size: Pygmies can leverage their diminutive size to their advantage. Their size renders them undetectable to individuals of average height, enabling them to move stealthy and observe without being noticed. Even a swarm of pygmies are shown to have no visibility whatsoever. In battle, their invisibility allows them to attack their opponents out in the open and make it difficult for them to counterattack.
While invisible to larger individuals, pygmies are visible to those of similar stature.
Immense Speed: Pygmies are remarkably fast, capable of executing their stitching ability to fasten materials securely in mere seconds. Combined with their diminutive stature rendering them nearly undetectable, opponents become too late to halt their swift sewing actions.
Resourcefulness: Pygmies are inventive in combat against larger opponents, frequently using items like cooking knives as projectiles with self-made catapults. Some pygmies also utilize tiny bows and toothpicks as arrows, which, despite their small size, can be significantly less deadly yet still cause discomfort to the individuals hit by them.
Special Abilities[]
| Stitching | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Strengths and Weaknesses | |||
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Utilizing their stitching ability to interlock objects to any surface, pygmies can limit their opponents' movements by anchoring them to the ground, furniture, or the clothing of others nearby. The stitches are seemingly harmless when applied to skin. They are strong enough to secure individuals of average size, as well as those endowed with yokai powers that augments their physical prowess. While no known weakness has been exploited, it should be noted that a sewing needle and thread is required to execute their ability. | |||
History[]
According to the folklore of a particular region, the pygmies were once humans until they were driven from the surface for being cast out as the socially weak. Consequently, their human physiology was altered, diminishing them to extremely small beings, and their existence became forgotten by the world. Moreover, their memories of their former selves were lost, leaving them with only a profound desire to be perceived by humans of the modern time.
After Koki Yukishiro acquired the ability to see the pygmies from her blackmailer, the pygmies chose to cater to her every need, including her mission to steal Momo's power.
Synopsis[]
Current Saga[]
Kozuka Knives Arc[]
The pygmies launching an attack on Momo, Okarun, and Aira.
A pygmy observes Momo in the library and quickly departs to inform Koki of her location after being spotted.[1][2] After Koki lures Momo, Okarun, and Aira into an Empty Space classroom, following the History and Culture Research Club's pursuit of the girl, the creatures initiate their assault on the trio, employing their stitching ability to hinder Okarun and Aira's movements and utilizing any available classroom items as weapons, such as knives, toothpicks, and desk burners. The pygmies' invisibility in combat is disrupted by Momo, whose diminutive stature enables her to detect them and alert Okarun and Aira about their maneuvers.[3] Although they succeeded in immobilizing Okarun and Aira by stitching them to the floor, making them vulnerable to a concentrated attack, the pygmies become unable to initiate it due to the concealed Koki being within firing range behind them, a scenario orchestrated by Momo.[4]
After Koki is crushed by the table Momo launched, the pygmies declared surrender, taking off their masks and unstitching Okarun and Aira. However, Momo soon realizes that they were being deceived after catching them attempting to carry Koki out of the classroom. In their attempt, they climb on to Aira tickling her to hinder the girl from using her Acrobatic Silky power to halt their escape. Just as Jiji, Kinta, and Bamora enter Empty Space using a feature from Bamora's kaiju suit, the pygmies manage to make it out of the classroom and rush Koki to Queen's office where the nurse defends Koki from her pursuers.[5] Koki then attempts to play the victim by accusing the History and Culture Research Club of assaulting her to Queen. However, after Queen reveals her capability to sees the pygmies as well, Koki loses standing and confesses to what actually happened.[6]
The pygmies comforting Koki.
As Koki reveals to the History and Culture Research Club and Queen her ordeal of being blackmailed and how she gained the power to see the pygmies, the tiny creatures attempt to comfort her by bandaging the cut from her blackmailer, but she rejects their help. However, after hearing Queen explain the pygmies' origin and recalling her own loneliness, Koki is moved to tears. The pygmies, touched by her emotions, stitch the words "hang in there, Koki". She then asks if they know how to return Momo to normal size, but they regretfully inform her they do not.[7][8]
Battles & Events[]
Chapter Appearances[]
Current Saga[]
| 166. Is This a Little Fairy? | Debut |
| 167. Hey, There's Something There | Appears |
| 168. There's Someone Here | Mentioned |
| 169. Find The Culprit! | Appears |
| 170. A Suspicious Woman | Absent |
| 171. Corner the Perp! | Appears |
| 172. Those Pygmies Are Scary | Appears |
| 173. Corner the Criminal! | Appears |
| 174. Queen Sensei's Infirmary | Appears |
| 175. So Who's the True Perp? | Appears |
| 176. Scattering the Bait | Absent |
| 177. Let's Do Some Kung Fu | Absent |
| 178. The Power of a God | Absent |
| 179. This Seems Kinda Deadly | Absent |
| 180. The Owner of the Kozuka Knives | Absent |
| 181. Must Be the Influence of a Curse | Absent |
| 182. Something's Taken the Bait | Absent |
| 183. So It's You! | Absent |
| 184. The Class Rep's Head! | Absent |
| 185. So You're The Perp! | Appears |
| 186. Kouki Yukishiro's Power | Appears |
| 187. Kick the Crap Outta Murakami! | Mentioned |
| 188. Okarun and Kinta | Absent |
| 189. Jumping Granny and Kung Fu Alien | Absent |
| 190. Merging Is What Makes Us Strong! | Absent |
| 191. The Mistake | Flashback |
| 192. Departing for Shimane | Absent |
| 193. You People?! | Absent |
| 194. We've Been Hijacked | Absent |
| 195. It's a Typhoon Direct Hit | Absent |
| 196. Let's Blow Away That Typhoon | Absent |
| 197. Earthworm! Go! | Absent |
| 198. Smash the Typhoon's Eye! | Absent |
| 199. Clear Skies After the Storm | Absent |
| 200. Everyone's Whereabouts | Flashback |
| 212. Momo's Memories | Absent |
| 213. Okarun's Resolve | Absent |
| 214. Feeling Kinda Fuzzy | Absent |
| 215. A Feeling of Distance Between Them | Absent |
| 216. Look, We're Being Attacked By Space Aliens! | Absent |
| 217. The Ogre Club | Absent |
| 218. He's a Mummy, Isn't He? | Absent |
| 219. The Mummy's Weakness | Absent |
| 220. Let's Treat Those Wounds | Absent |
| 221. Ken's Conflict | Absent |
| 222. Who Are You People? | Appears |
| 223. The Class Rep's Costume | Absent |
Trivia[]
- The name "Pygmies" refers to a tribe of dwarfs told in Greek mythology.
- The pygmies setting Aira's hair on fire references the literary work Imagines, which recounts the Pygmies' assault on Heracles. In this tale, the Pygmy King orchestrates an attack on Heracles' head, employing fire for his hair, mattocks for his eyes, and I fancy as gates to fasten his nose and obstruct his breathing.
- Adding onto Koki's surname, "Yukishiro", referencing the fictional character Snow White ("snow" (雪) (yuki) and "white" (白) (shiro)), the pygmies most likely are a nod to the seven dwarfs associated with Snow White.
- During Queen's retelling of the Pygmies origin from chapter 175 The Tower of Babel can be seen, as it appears in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting of the same. Whether this is an inside reference from the author or an indication of the Pygmies origin in Mesopotamia is left undisclosed.
- According to Dandadan Daizukan:[9]
- They like Koki Yukishiro.
- They dislike Varsan insecticide.
- Their hobbies are mass gymnastics.
- In the Dandadan Daizukan[10], they are referred as "Tiny Old Men" (小さいおじさん, Chiisai Oji-san).
References[]
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 166, Page 19
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 167, Pages 1-2
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 171, Pages 5-19
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 172
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 173, Pages 1-9, 12-19
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 174, Pages 9-15
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 174, Pages 16-19
- ↑ Dandadan Manga: Chapter 175, Pages 1-12
- ↑ Dandadan Daizukan, Page 127
- ↑ Dandadan Daizukan, Page 127
