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WARNING! |
The Shimane Arc is the twelfth story arc of the Dandadan manga series and the third story arc of the Current Saga.
Upon their arrival to Shimane, Seiko's group are lured into a trap by two affiliates of the Serpo who have been tasked to steal their powers. With time almost running out to return Momo, as well as Unji and Daiki, to normal using the Uchide-no-Kozuchi, they must quickly defeat their new enemies before their chance slips away.
Synopsis[]
Trap[]
Okarun receives the Oni Club.
Okarun shares his concerns with everyone about the suitability of dining in Queen's office, apprehensive about her possible anger if she finds out. Kinta points out to Okarun that he fears Queen's wrath and suggests he should act contrary to his instincts, which leaves Okarun confused about his implication. After Manjiro informs Okarun that they have obtained Queen's approval to eat in her office, Okarun becomes curious about how Manjiro is acquainted with her and is surprised to learn from him that they met when she brought a student for an exorcism he conducted. Furthermore, both he and Kinta are astonished to discover from him that he is younger than her, that one of them has masochistic tendencies, and that he is 36 years old. Shifting the topic, Manjiro updates Okarun on the situation concerning him and his friends, explaining that someone is orchestrating a competition to gather yokai powers using kozuka knives. He also informs them that he and his exorcist guild are investigating the matter and advises them to stay vigilant until the culprit is identified. After Okarun mentions that Seiko lacks yokai powers, Manjiro clarifies that the orchestrator allows the agents to use yokai powers and that they may have some undisclosed goal, prompting Kinta to inform him that he is ready to be involved in the case. While Rin and Koki dine, Okarun inquiries about the item Manjiro brought. Manjiro reveals to Okarun that it is a weapon Seiko requested him to have for self-defense. Okarun and Kinta then express their disappointment upon opening the box to find a twig. While Kinta finds this amusing, Okarun suspects that Seiko is playing a joke on him. Manjiro reassures Okarun that the twig is actually an Oni Club, and although he is unsure of how to use it effectively, he has agreed to train him and asks that he keep it as a talisman.
During the taxi journey to the Izumo Taisha, Momo gazes out the window, absorbed in thoughts of Okarun once again confessing his feelings to her when she returns to her normal self. Her reverie is abruptly interrupted by the Evil Eye, who loudly demands more dōjō-sukui manju to eat, much to her annoyance. Unji learns from Bamora about Jiji's situation after inquiring about his peculiar behavior, although her vague explanation leads Unji to mistakenly believe that Jiji is suffering from a split personality. Upon their arrival at the shrine, Seiko is informed by the resident priest that the sacred artifact, the Uchide-no-Kozuchi, has been stolen. Without a moment's hesitation, she jumps into a taxi with Momo, the Evil Eye, Bamora, and the priest, leaving Unji, Raiya, and Daiki behind at the shrine to chase after the thief. As they speed away, the priest explains that the enigmatic figure known as the "Phantom Ninja Thief" has been targeting temples and shrines, stealing national treasures. Fortunately, a tracker had been placed on the Uchide-no-Kozuchi, enabling them to trace its location, which is revealed to be at Matsue Castle.
Momo, Seiko, and Bamora lured into a trap.
Upon reaching Matsue Castle, Momo. Seiko, Bamora, and the priest, rush inside to retrieve the hammer while leaving the Evil Eye behind in the taxi. While following the priest using the tracker on his phone to locate hammer, Bamora inquiries about the item, to which Momo and the priest explain its significance, with Momo finding it odd that such a powerful relic would be concealed within a tourist site. Suddenly, Seiko stops the group, sensing an unfamiliar presence. When they turn around, they see the priest being held hostage by a ninja who threatens to kill him with a knife if anyone dared to move. They then notice more ninjas surrounding them, causing Momo to realize that there is more than one Phantom Ninja Thief. The ninja holding the priest hostage demands their surrender in exchange for sparing their lives. After Momo and Seiko react in shock to this ultimatum, Momo prepares to help save the priest, planning to use her powers to keep the assailant from using his weapon while instructing Seiko to seize the opportunity to strike. However, Seiko stops her, urging Momo and Bamora to return to the taxi and head back to the shrine before the ritual time runs out. Momo becomes confused by this, considering the priest's dangerous situation. Seiko clarifies that the priest is not who he claims to be and insists he drop the facade. Once revealed, the priest disperses the ninja restraining him and changes into new clothes. After Seiko scolds herself for not suspecting him earlier, she explains to Momo and Bamora that he is not a priest, the hammer is safe, and he has led them into a trap to steal their powers. The pseudo-priest's Reptilian companion then shows himself, inquiring about their next steps and whether their best choice would have been to eliminate them and hand them over to the Serpo from the start. The pseudo-priest concedes that such an action would have been too perilous, which he reasons is why he devised his intricate ruse, and asks his partner how he plans to rectify their unsuccessful attempt, leading the Reptilian to reprimand the pseudo-priest for believing it is his fault. While Momo feels uneasy about the Reptilian's presence, Seiko directs Bamora to locate an opening and hurry to the taxi below. Momo objects to leaving Seiko alone, asserting that she cannot confront them all by herself and insists that she support her. Seiko declines, informing Momo that this moment represents their sole opportunity to break her curse and that she must leave. Seiko battles the ninjas to clear a path for Bamora's escape. Not allow her to escape, the Reptilian merges with the ground, erects a barrier that obstructs the exit, and opens the floor to send her down to the lower level. Momo attempts to catch Bamora with her power but ends up being sent to the lower level along with her. Now isolated, Seiko faces the pseudo-priest, who bows before her.
Seiko fighting against Enenra.
After bowing to Seiko, the pseudo-priest delivers a powerful strike to his opponent, sending her crashing into a nearby pillar, and quickly follows up with an axe kick. Seiko narrowly avoids the subsequent attack and engages the pseudo-priest in hand-to-hand combat. She quickly identifies her opponent's immense strength and that his strikes are directed at her vital areas. Nevertheless, she manages to analyze his movements and notes that his attack patterns are surprisingly predictable. Taking advantage of a moment when the pseudo-priest seems vulnerable, Seiko attempts a decisive blow. However, her double punches pass right through him, as his form is revealed to be composed of smoke. The pseudo-priest then counters with an uppercut to Seiko's chin, followed by two direct hits to her ribs, and finishes with Setta that sends her crashing back into the wall. As Seiko endures the damage she has sustained, the pseudo-priest commends her for her performance in battle against him. In reply, Seiko discloses his true identity as Enenra, a yokai made of smoke. Enenra scornfully stomps on her ribs, causing her to scream in pain, and urges her to concede, claiming that she must now understand the futility of her resistance. Undeterred, Seiko mocks him, dismissing his warrior facade and labeling his abilities as fraudulent. She then tries to strike him with a retaliatory kick aimed at his groin, only for it to pass harmlessly through his form, provoking the yokai to counter with a kick of his own. After she becomes too hurt to continue fighting, Enenra looms over her ribs, applying pressure that elicits a cry from her. He admires her tenacity, her unwillingness to surrender despite her suffering, and contemplates the contradiction between biological survival instincts and the human ability to resist death. Driven by a cruel curiosity to see if her resolve will falter under the complete destruction of her body, he intensifies the pressure on Seiko's ribs with his feet, prompting another cry of pain from her. Just as he is about to continue, Enenra is interrupted by the entrance of Evil Eye, who is holding a defeated ninja in his grasp, expressing his annoyance at having to wait in the taxi.
Jiji landing a hit on Enenra with his Evil Gun.
Upon witnessing Enenra looming over Seiko, the Evil Eye erupts into laughter at her downfall. With the yokai in attendance, Enenra declares his intention to seize the Evil Eye's power as well. After the Evil Eye tosses the ninja he had been holding, causing Enenra's form to dissolve into smoke, he quickly rescues her from the smoke yokai and places his sweater on her, all while finding Enenra's proclamation entertaining. The Evil Eye charges at Enenra with a punch, but it harmlessly passes through his smoky figure. In an instant, Enenra strikes back, delivering a kick to the face, driving an elbow into his stomach, executing a shoulder throw that slams him to the ground, followed by a series of named attacks. Having easily dealt with the Evil Eye, Enenra expresses disdain for his opponent's feeble strength. In reaction to Enenra's continuous low blows, the Evil Eye feels compelled to label him as "Nug Lover". Enenra informs him that physical attacks are futile against him since he is made of smoke and encourages him to surrender. Nevertheless, the Evil Eye persists in throwing punches, infuriated by his opponent's capabilities. With another precise strike, Enenra sends the Evil Eye soaring and demands that he stop using the nickname he assigned him, prompting the latter to disclose his true identity as the "Red Baron". Enenra, asserting that he is superior in strength, urges him once more to accept defeat. The Evil Eye engages in a dialogue with Jiji within him, insisting that he remain silent and expresses confidence in his ability to defeat Enenra, leaving Enenra perplexed by the Evil Eye's behavior. After persuading the Evil Eye to switch places with him, Jiji introduces himself to Enenra. In response, Enenra questions whether Jiji is seeking his demise, as he is likely to be vanquished by his attacks. Jiji acknowledges that dying would be unfortunate but reassures Enenra that he will give it his all, claiming to possess fighting experience as well. As Jiji prepares to activate his Evil Gun, Enenra cautions him that his attempts will be just as futile as the Evil Eye's. However, to Enenra's astonishment, he is pushed back by Jiji's Evil Gun rather than vanishing into smoke, leading Jiji to declare that his assault was successful.
Jiji and the Evil Eye mixed form.
After being struck by Jiji’s Evil Gun, Enenra becomes stunned and confused that an attack has managed to connect with him. Jiji, pleased with his success, fires a second Evil Gun. Enenra narrowly evades the blast and retaliates with a punch. In response, the Evil Eye swaps places with Jiji, intercepting the blow with his elbow and counters with a kick. However, he once again fails to land a direct hit to his opponent's smoke body, and is sent flying by Enenra countering with a kick of his own. Jiji quickly resumes control, switches places again, and fires a third Evil Gun that once again manages to land successfully. Enenra, now visibly frustrated, demands to know from his opponent as to how he is able to strike him. Jiji explains that he is utilizing Spiral Power, a technique he learned from Seiko, and is applying the concept of molecular chirality to counter his smoke body. Though he is unable to grasp the technical explanation, Nenera closes the distance and kicks Jiji away, declaring that he won't win even if he is able to hit him. Observing Jiji shift once more into the Evil Eye state, Enenra deduces that Jiji's resilience stems from alternating control with the yokai and points out that giving control to the yokai will prevent him from firing the Evil Gun. Seizing the opportunity, Enenra launches a vicious assault and urges Jiji to surrender, warning that without the Evil Gun, victory is impossible, and reverting to his human form will only leave him exposed. After evading a kick aimed at his head, the Evil Eye places his palms on Enenra to release rotating energy, and manages to land a counter-kick that sends the yokai flying. Enenra then looks to see Jiji in a new form where the physical traits of the Evil Eye are partially manifested and is told by Jiji that his genius is the key to defeating him.
Evil Eye finishes off Enenra.
Jiji is assumed by Enenra that he has fused with the Evil Eye but quickly corrects the misunderstanding, explaining that the transformation is not a fusion but the result of rapid alternation between his and the Evil Eye's control, a technique that was born as a method for the two of them to play together. Enenra scoffs, remarking that Jiji's core nature hasn't changed, and dissolves into smoke to infiltrate Jiji's lungs through his nose, attempting to suffocate him from within. Gasping for air, Jiji fires an Evil Gun blast at the invading smoke. Enenra clarifies that not all smoke is part of his body, as he merely manipulates it as a medium, and notes that Jiji's Evil Gun has weakened since entering his new state. Enenra points out to Jiji that he would need to revert to his normal form to expel the smoke, but denies him the opportunity. He then violently erupts from Jiji’s mouth and nose, threatening to detonate his body upon rematerializing. As the pressure builds, Jiji recalls Enenra standing over Seiko and remembers her advice during their battle with the Typhoon Human, that with proper ki control, he should be able to fire his Evil Gun even through an obstruction. Drawing on this insight, Jiji channels his energy and fires the Evil Gun through his own body, successfully ejecting Enenra. He then approaches the yokai, shielding his nose and groin to prevent reentry. Enenra, unimpressed, shifts into smoke once more, however, Jiji counters with a point-blank Evil Gun blast, revealing that repeated hits lengthen the time it takes for the yokai to transform into smoke. Seizing the moment, Jiji grabs Enenra and swaps places with the Evil Eye. Fueled by rage, the Evil Eye unleashes a relentless barrage of punches, furious that Enenra dared to stand over Seiko, the woman who welcomed him into her family. The final blow sends Enenra hurtling out of the castle and crashing into a nearby pond, where he lies unconscious. Peering through the hole left behind, Jiji dryly comments that the Evil Eye may have gone a bit overboard. Carrying Seiko in his arms, he adds that he had wanted to scold Enenra himself, to make it clear that if Seiko had been at full strength, she could have easily defeated him.
The Space Ninja[]
Bamora and Momo face Reptilian in his giant castle form.
Meanwhile, Bamora has easily taken out most of the ninjas thanks to her suit's invisibility, while Reptilian hides in fear, believing that an enemy that can't be seen is unfair and is even better hidden than him, a renowned space ninja. Still, Reptilian thinks his camouflage against the pillar is perfect, but Momo, thanks to her aura detection, guides Bamora and she lands a catastrophic punch, taking the alien out. Bamora thanks her, revealing that she can only detect her because of her suit. Momo is amazed by its technology but can't help but feel sad when Bamora asks why a fairy is helping her, a sign of her curse accelerating. The two flee the castle to quickly return to the shrine and perform the ritual, bumping into Jiji who's carrying the barely conscious Seiko back to the car. The girls rush over in tears and Jiji requests Momo to use her powers to carefully lay Seiko on the backseat. Momo jumps down to check on her while Jiji reveals that her ribs are in critical condition and he's emitting his ki to tend her pain, although he has no idea about internal damage. Seiko groans Momo's name, asking her to just reach the Izumo Taisha and get her curse lifted. Out of nowhere, the ground begins to shake and Reptilian, still in the castle, screams vengeance for tearing apart his pride as a space ninja, admitting that they were even a better ninja than him. Matsue Castle starts lifting upwards and Reptilian's face and limbs enlarge and spread out through it, surrounded by countless ninjas attached to flying kites. The alien laughs in his true form, claiming that he was camouflaged as the castle the entire time and the ninjas were cultivated by his bowels, comparing them to bifido-bacteria. The giant alien castle starts making his way towards the group so Jiji and Bamora prepare to take him down. Unexpectedly, Momo shouts to Jiji and orders him to carry her grandmother to the hospital, deciding that her curse is less important than Seiko. Jiji points out that everybody will forget about her, but Momo stands by what she says and faces Seiko, admitting that it was her own fault for everything that happened and hopes to speak with her again if Seiko still remembers her. In tears, Momo uses her powers to reach Bamora and Jiji accepts her decision, quickly departing to the hospital in the taxi.
Momo launches a Moe Moe Tri-Beam at the explosives, obliterating Reptilian.
Bamora lets Momo inside her suit and makes sure that she can detect her through the suit. Following this, she orders Bamora to open Empty Space to avoid causing damage to the nearby city and turns the kaiju massive, surprising Reptilian. The suit turns invisible and they rush forward, attempting to land a Blast Wind Thrust Attack. Incredibly, Reptilian leaps over the punch, revealing to the confused girls that he's aware of their retro-reflective projection technology, nullified by the multiple flying ninjas that are giving confirmation of their position. He then commands them to unleash their Ninja Art: Sakura Riot, bombarding the kaiju with fireworks. Momo initially is mesmerized by their colors, but Bamora warns her that they are actually explosives and they are depleting the suit's endurance gauge, which will cause it to collapse and become unusuable if it ever reaches zero. Momo realizes the danger of the situation and Bamora states that it usually takes an entire day to recover, so Momo opts to close the distance with Reptilian in order to get him in the range of the explosions. Momo reassures her that the kaiju's power is extraordinary and Reptilian will take more damage than they do, but the alien shouts that he's indeed a true ninja and manages to evade multiple close-range attacks from Bamora. He taunts her as the ninjas keep the bombardment up, eventually depleting the endurance gauge and turning the kaiju to its smaller size, now unable to move. Reptilian celebrates, and now that he's sure he's a better ninja than them, begins to crush the suit repeatedly with his hand. Noticing that he might have exaggerated and might have killed them before he could steal their powers, he resorts to instead hand their corpses over to the Serpo to dissect. Hearing Momo's voice asking him what he was attacking causes him to freeze up and he starts looking around in fear, dropping his performance as a ninja. Momo laughs at him and wants to know if he has heard about Issun-Boshi, a little human who defeated a giant from its insides. She reveals that she and Bamora had taken the ninjas' explosives and scattered them inside him, shocking him and leading him to try and shake them out of him as they play with his organs. Momo shouts that this is nothing compared to when they held onto a plane passing through a typhoon and is not willing to let him and his ally go for what they had done to her grandmother. The duo escapes Reptilian's body and Momo unleashes a Moe Moe Tri-Beam, igniting the explosives and causing the alien to blow up into smithereens.
The Curse[]
Momo's curse is lifted and she returns big again.
Momo engulfs herself and Bamora with her powers to survive the explosion, but once she falls to the ground, Momo notices that she's in the middle of a blazing field. She watches as the nearby city dissipates and theorizes that it was being projected by the aliens, frustrating her and prompting her to shout Bamora's name. Momo remembers that she could only detect her because of the suit, now inoperative, and she rapidly escapes the crops so she can spot her before she leaves. However, once she reaches the road, she realizes that there's nobody around her and under the moonlight, she wonders if Seiko has reached the hospital and hopes for her wellbeing. Looking at the moon, she understands that there's no more time left and breaks down crying, wanting to reunite with her friends at school. Now completely alone and at her lowest point ever, the curse reaches its last stage and turns Momo into fairy dust, making her vanish from the world. Shortly after, a caravan of shinto priests eerily traverses the fields, guided by a masked priest holding a staff and a small boat of reeds. The group reaches Momo and the man, who cannot perceive her, asks if she can climb on his hand, reassuring her that both Unji and Daiki's matters have been resolved and it is now her turn. They bring her back to a mysterious shrine inside a cave and the man places her and the small boat in a tiny pool. He's handed the legendary Uchide-no-Kozuchi and slowly taps the water with it, causing Momo to suddenly and quickly shift size, lifting the curse. As he prays to the god of the shrine, the assistants enter the pool and transport Momo out, unconscious and now back at her original stature.
After Momo's curse is lifted, she is brought to a room with Bamora. Upon waking up, she decides to take a look around, seemingly wiped of her initial memories. She meets a woman who greets her and asked if she wanted coffee. The woman tells her to take a seat, but before she can leave, Momo asks her about Seiko, expecting her to be there. The woman explains that Seiko is in the hospital and could not come, and Momo immediately asks for the hospital's location while also saying that there was someone she didn't recognize sleeping in her room, further reinforcing the idea that she had lost her memory earlier on.
Later, Momo arrives at the hospital looking for Seiko and catches Jiji scolding her. Momo interrupts and asks why Seiko got hospitalized and what they were doing in Shimane in the first place, not knowing when they even arrived. Seiko doesn't answer and quickly gets up to hug Momo, causing her to get flustered not knowing the reason of her grandmother's sudden affection. Jiji also expresses his joy for Momo now that she is at her normal size. However, Momo doesn't recognize who he is. Seiko reminds her that Jiji was her childhood friend. Momo is confused as to why he's there.
Story Impact[]
- Manjiro reveals that he is the spirit medium whom Queen and a student have gone to with for an exorcism. Additionally, he reveals himself to be 36 years old and he hints at himself to being a masochist.
- Manjiro reveals that he and Seiko are part of an exorcist guild and have contacted them regarding the power collectors.
- Okarun begins his ki training under Manjiro's tutelage, who is revealed to have rented out a shrine to live in during the remainder of his time in Kamigoe City.
- Unji learns about Jiji's curse from Bamora.
- More information about Count Saint-Germain is revealed. He has a second job at Tasty Geezer Breads as a baker and hired the former Kur affiliate for the purpose of helping him with this job. He has a second subordinate named Enenra, a smoke yokai, and has formed an untrustworthy alliance with the Serpo to target Momo and her allies for their powers in order achieve his goal of creating the ultimate yokai. Following the forceful failed attempts, he switches his plans to befriending Okarun and his allies.
- Enenra is revealed to be the orchestrator behind the power collectors after being loaned the kozuka knives by Count Saint-Germain. He is also revealed by Seiko to be an assassin of the Black Paladins, a group of yokai power and curse wielding diviners hired by large corporations to undermine competitors. His appearance and actions officially introduce their debut.
- The possessor of the Fairy-Tale Card sent by Enenra to take away Adachi's power is revealed to be the vessel for Count Saint-Germain's objective.
- Reptilian is introduced as the fifth subordinate of the Serpo after the Typhoon Human.
- Enenra is revealed to be the orchestrator behind the power collectors after being loaned the kozuka knives by Count Saint-Germain. He is also revealed by Seiko to be an assassin of the Black Paladins, a group of yokai power and curse wielding diviners hired by large corporations to undermine competitors. His appearance and actions officially introduce their debut.
- Enenra is revealed to be a user of the Power of Words and Spiral Power.
- Jiji and the Evil Eye fight together in battle for the first time using the curse.
- Additionally, Jiji reveals a new form that allows him to use both his power and the Evil Eye's, a form he developed for the purpose of fulfilling his previous promise to the yokai to play with him.
- The Evil Eye reveals his care for Seiko ever since her acceptance of him into her family.
- Bamora goes into detail about her exosuit's durability, revealing that the reason it loses power when taken too much damage is due to it possessing an endurance gauge.
- More information about powers is revealed.
- Spiral Power can help to inflict damage to ethereal individuals if applying the concept of molecular chirality.
- Count Saint-Germain, based off of Enenra's interaction with Koki, reveals that powers have the potential to be leveled up.
- Humans are the only species capable of wielding yokai powers.
- Momo's curse evolves even further until she is lifted from it by an unknown group in possession of the Uchide-no-Kozuchi at the cost of her memories.
- The Sorcerers Association are first mentioned by Count Saint-Germain and Seiko.
Battles & Events[]
| Battles | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Seiko Ayase vs. Enenra | |
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Jiji and Evil Eye vs. Enenra | |
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Momo Ayase and Bamora vs. Reptilian | |
|
Momo Ayase and Bamora vs. Reptilian (Round 2) | |
Characters Introduced[]
| Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enenra | Reptilian | Masked Priest | Shimane Inn Employee | Kamigoe City Shrine Priest |
Chapters[]
| # | Title | SJ+ Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | Here We Are, In Shimane | July 8, 2025 |
| 202 | Where'd The Magic Hammer Go? | July 15, 2025 |
| 203 | The Mysterious Man | July 22, 2025 |
| 204 | Enenra, the Smoke Yokai | July 29, 2025 |
| 205 | Spiral Training | August 5, 2025 |
| 206 | Jiji and the Evil Eye | August 19, 2025 |
| 207 | What Even Is a Ninja? | August 26, 2025 |
| 208 | Who's The Real Ninja?! | September 9, 2025 |
| 209 | All Alone | September 16, 2025 |
| 210 | After the Ritual | September 23, 2025 |
| 211 | Who the Heck? | September 30, 2025 |