Dandadan from Science Saru is a very different series in that it has two main protagonists, but while a lot is known about Momo and her family life, a lot of fans have started to realize that they barely know anything about Okarun/Ken Takakura.
Though Okarun does spend a lot of his time with Momo and has evolved to possess supernatural powers, fans barely know anything about him and his life outside of the Ayase household—they don’t even know anything about his parents or his home. So what gives?
Okarun is Dandadan's Biggest Mystery
Until series author Yujkinobu Tatsu reveals anything about Okarun, all fans can really do is speculate, but it is easy to admit that the lack of backstory with Okarun is so suspicious that it could have been designed that way on purpose.
When fans first meet Okarun, he’s just reading about aliens and getting bullied by his classmates, until Momo shows up and drags him away. We then get to see him hang around Momo and develop his relationship with her, but the show barely follows Okarun when he’s not around Momo. There has never been a glimpse of his family, or where he lives.
In a series about all kinds of aliens and ghosts, some fans are beginning to ask—is Okarun even a human himself?
Theory: Okarun is a Tulpa
For context, a tulpa is a mythical creature that comes from Tibetan Buddhism and is said to be a materialized being that is made out of pure thought. They can take the form of animals, but they can also have the form of humans and are independent and have their own sentient thoughts.
The theory is that Okarun is actually a tulpa that was subconsciously created by Momo, who is known to have an above-average level of spiritual powers. Fans guess that Momo unintentionally created Okarun to be her boyfriend after her falling out with her ex at the start of the show.
The pieces all fit with the tulpa explanation. Besides the fact that the series barely follows Okarun’s story outside of his relationship with Momo, his real name is also Ken Takakura, an old celebrity that Momo was obsessed with.
Not My Okarun
Admittedly, there are some fans who aren’t too jazzed with the theory as they think that it sort of cheapens Okarun as a character—being created solely to be Momo’s ideal boyfriend.
With some fans thinking that the tulpa explanation is too obvious at this point, some speculate that a future chapter could actually reveal Okarun’s family down the line—and the twist would be that they were all just completely normal and everyone was worrying over nothing.
On the other hand, Okarun realizing he himself was just a supernatural creation could be a big source of drama for the story. Will he still be willing to be with Momo after realizing that he wasn’t even real to begin with? Will Momo even want Okarun considering that she was her creator?
Hopefully, Tatsu-sensei will have some kind of explanation in mind soon.
Catch new episodes of Dandadan every Friday on Netflix.