Dandadan: Flatwoods Monster, Explained

Key Takeaways

  • Dandadan
    combines horror, comedy, and action as two teenagers explore nature.
  • The Flatwood Monster from episode 2 is inspired by a 1952 alien encounter in West Virginia.
  • The Flatwood Monster in
    Dandadan
    showing great strength, ability to wield poisonous mist, and loyalty to the Serpo Aliens.



Yukinobu Tatsus unique ability to combine the paranormal and the extraterrestrial to tell a captivating story shines through in his magnum opus, Dandadan. The series mixes horror and humor while delivering an action-packed and alternative story about two teenagers exploring the supernatural.

In episode 2, titled “The Space Alien, Right?!” Dandadan introduces the Flatwood Monster, an alien working under the orders of his boss, the Serpo Aliens. The towering creature may at first appear to be a portrait of Yukinobu's rich and unique image. But it turns out that inspiration was needed from a famous alien encounter reported in the early 1950s. In this article, we dive deep into the origins of the Flatwood Monster and explore the implications that of Yukinobu's work.


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The origin of the Flatwood monster legend

Meteor or Stranger Encounter?

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On September 12, 1952, a bright object flashed across the sky in the West Virginia town of Flatwoods. When the eyewitnesses went to investigate, they said they saw a bright red light that caught their attention. Wanting to get to the bottom, they decided to look near the hill where the bright object was originally seen. According to eyewitnesses, when they approached, they encountered a 10-meter-tall figure with a space-like head, a bright red round face, and claw-like hands.


Later, when the news spread, the head of the village and a deputy made an investigation on the spot but did not find anything unusual. However, this did not stop the story from becoming national news because journalists flocked to the area to investigate and draw conclusions. But even seventy years later, there was no evidence to corroborate the eyewitness accounts. Although there are several theories as to what happened, the most widely accepted one has been proposed by Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, who suggests that the witnesses may have seen a meteor. This may have been the case as several meteors were reported from various locations in the United States that year on September 12th.

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Joe also had an explanation for the strange extraterrestrial encounter that the eyewitnesses had that day. According to him, people at ground zero may encounter an owl, which they believe to be a humanoid creature from another world. He said that the shadow probably made the bird appear larger than usual, a distortion, which was exacerbated by their difficulty. Despite several probes being sent to the area, there was no evidence of extraterrestrial life. However, the lack of evidence has not stopped people from making their own theories and the legend of the Flatwoods Monster still endures decades after the incident.


Flatwood Monster in Dandadan

The series is based on an eyewitness account of the events of 1952.

The Yukinobu Tatsu Dandadan Borrow ideas from alien legends and real-life cryptids, including the Flatwood Monster. Like the extraterrestrial from West Virginia, the Flatwood Monster in the series is also 10 meters tall and was first seen in the town of Flatwoods in Braxton County. In the following years, there were reports of sightings in Japan's Yamanashi prefecture. The Flatwood Monster is very muscular and built like an anime sumo wrestler. Its mouth is rectangular and moves mechanically, while its head is surrounded by a mysterious hood. Because it is so tall and has a huge belly, the Flatwood Monster can weigh several tons.


Interestingly, the Flatwood monsters are under the authority of the Serpos and are aliens just like them. Due to his gigantic size and build like a sumo wrestler, he can generate fearsome power through sumo-style stomps. These are very dangerous to those close by because the power can even kill ordinary people.

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The Flatwood monster's strength could turn into weakness as its body began to disintegrate upon contact with the ground, for some inexplicable reason. Almost only foreigners can wrestle in a straight sumo pose. However, if this happens, the ability of the Flatwood monster allows it to grow two legs immediately to stabilize the rest of the body.


An eyewitness to the 1952 West Virginia incident reported feeling nauseated and smelling a pungent mist shortly after seeing the 10-foot-tall man-like figure. Yukinobu seems to have borrowed the idea to give the Flatwood Monster in the anime the power to emit a poisonous black mist that causes a nosebleed. The aliens use the dangerous fog to attack Okarun and Momo, forcing them out of hiding.

Despite being powerful, the Flatwood Monster is surprisingly obedient to the Serpo Aliens. He keeps focusing on his duty to buy banana organs from Okarun and Momo when they come across them. The alien is almost able to defeat the strange duo with supernatural powers, alone. However, Momo's quick thinking allowed her two friends to cast the spell and burn to ashes and die.

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Based on Yukinobu Tatsu's popular manga that debuted in 2021 on Shonen Jump+, Dandadan combines action, comedy, romance, and supernatural excitement to create a unique and satisfying adventure. Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura believe in the supernatural, although the former believes in ghosts and believes in aliens. Determined to verify the existence of both sides, they searched for their evidence.

Date of publication
October 3, 2024

Studio
Science Saru

Creator
Yukinobu Tatsu

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