Urban Legend

WARNING!
This article may contain major spoilers from the Dandadan manga series.
Please read at your own risk.

Urban Legends (都市伝説, Toshi Densetsu^?) are modern folklore stories — often eerie, mysterious, or cautionary — that circulate as if they are true, even though they are usually unverifiable or purely fictional. They are centered around beings and phenomena considered supernatural to humans on Earth. These beings play a central role in the world of Dandadan. Initially starting off as ordinary folklore, these entities eventually come to light as real and dangerous beings originating from an unidentified race either on Earth or beyond or are the result of trauma or various other situations.

Beings of urban legend serve as either antagonists, allies, and catalysts throughout the series, shaping the lives of characters like Momo Ayase, Okarun, and their allies.

Overview[]

Urban legends originate from popular myths, school rumors, internet creepypasta, and regional folklore that center on mysterious entities. These mysterious beings range from spirits and yokai to aliens and cryptids, each with unique abilities, personalities, and origin story. In some cases, beings of urban legend are manifested from the world itself or even from human emotion, such as the Music Room Portraits being born from those who fear their portraits in their music room and the Typhoon Human being born from the natural formation of a typhoon. They are often tied to specific locations, rituals, or emotional states, and their behavior can vary wildly, from violent aggression to tragic longing. Some legends are bound to objects or people, while others roam freely, waiting to be summoned or stumbled upon.

Hearing such stories about these beings may compel people to test their legend by visiting their known haunted sites. This act of participation reinforces belief and keeps the story alive.

Categories[]

Spirit Legends[]

Main article: Spirits

A yokai, an earthbound spirit, and a gathering of humans possessed by local spirits.

Spirits (霊, Rei^?) are the lingering souls of deceased humans who, for various reasons, have not passed on to the afterlife. They are invisible to ordinary humans unless they possess spiritual awareness. Corrupted and malevolent spirits known as yokai are the ones most commonly found in urban legends. They are drawn to places or people with strong life force energy, and their behavior is often influenced by lingering emotions, regrets, or obsessions.

Alien Legends[]

Main article: Aliens

Aliens (宇宙人, Uchūjin^?) are extraterrestrial beings hailing from distant planets, often possessing advanced technology than the ones invented by humans, supernatural abilities, and bizarre biology. Alien urban legends are stories or claims about extraterrestrial beings interacting with Earth in mysterious, often unsettling ways. These legends typically involve UFO sightings, alien abductions, and government cover-ups.

UMA Legends[]

Main article: UMAs

UMAs (ユーマ, Yūma^?). short for Unidentified Mysterious Animals (未確認生物, Mikakunin Seibutsu^?), refer to creatures that are rumored to exist but lack scientific verification. UMAs are typically described as biological entities, though often with bizarre traits that challenge known zoology. Most UMA stories begin with sightings and are often tied to a specific location, becoming part of local lore. With the case of the Flatwoods Monster and Mantisian, aliens can also be classified as UMAs due to their bizarre features.

Non-Categories[]

Anatomical Models[]

Kami High students encountering Taro at school during the night.

Anatomical models (解剖モデル, Kaibō moderu^?) that animate during the night are among the seven urban legends found in Japanese schools, referred to as the Seven School Mysteries (学校の七不思議, Gakkō-no-Nanafushigi^?). The anatomical model Taro, along with fellow anatomical model and lover Hana, that resides in the science classroom of Kami High is connected to this urban legend.

Tulpas[]

Tulpas (思念体, Shinentai^?, literal meaning: Thoughtforms) are the collective emotions of humans given form. The Music Room Portraits, manifestations of the collective fears of those who are afraid of the musician portraits in a music room at an unspecified school, are currently the only known tulpas in the series and are summoned when an individual plays horribly on the music room piano at around 2 AM.

Fairies[]

Main article: Fairies

Fairies (妖精, Yōsei^?) are small, mythical creatures known for their elusive nature. According to Momo, they are believed to exist all around the living beings of Earth and were able to be perceived by humans until the natural ability was lost to them centuries ago. She also claims that they can only be seen by those who consciously seek them out, requiring intense focus and straining of the eyes just to glimpse their presence.

Tiny Old Men[]

Main article: Tiny Old Man

Tiny Old Men (ちいさいおじさん, Chiisai Ojisan^?) are miniscule human beings, appearing as old men who gained notoriety after revealing themselves to many celebrities. They bring good luck to those who spot them though they are very elusive and they are difficult to see even when searching for them. Momo suggests the possibility that they might be fairies, but this is not confirmed.

Pygmies[]

Main article: Pygmies

The Pygmies (小人, Kobito^?) are a race of minuscule beings who are undetectable to any living thing of average size (with the exception of a rare few). They have cone-shaped bodies with stick figure limbs and are depicted having teary eyes and a dark mustache. 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.

Jiangshi[]

Main article: Jiangshi

The Jiangshi (キョンシー, Kyonshī^?) are reanimated corpses rooted in Chinese folklore. They are all identical in physical appearance; possessing a mummified face with dark, sunken eyes, stitched mouths, an expressionless face, and hair tied into a long braid. In addition to looking identical, they all wear matching clothes, which are traditional Chinese clothes that resembles the attire of Qing Dynasty officials; a long robe with wide sleeves and a square panel on the chest, a hat with a flat top, loose-fitting pants, and dark shoes. They serve as minions to Mika Adachi who acquired the power to control them through an Asura kozuka knife given to her by an unknown individual.

Severed Head Dribblers[]

Main article: Severed Head Dribblers

Severed Head Dribblers (生首ドリブル, Namakubi Doriburu^?) are entities who are summoned in a gym whenever there are trespassers late at night. They appear as headless bodies wearing basketball player attire: jerseys, shorts, and sneakers. While the bodies are active, their missing heads merely float in mid-air until they are seized by the beings to be used as projectiles to attack their enemies. Their aim for any trespassers is to behead them by slamming their heads through a basketball hoop, resulting in them being sent to the afterlife and drifting in the gym indefinitely. They were previously controlled by Takeshi Murakami until his powers were stolen by Mika Adachi.