At its core, the Evil Eye arc isn’t just another supernatural showdown. It’s a story about how trauma twists people. How love, empathy, and stubborn loyalty can fight back. Yes, there’s bone-crunching combat. Beneath the chaos, the real question burns:
A Curse Born from Cruelty
The Evil Eye isn’t some random monster-of-the-week. It’s the product of ritualized cruelty in Jiji’s ancestral Kito family village, a child once filled with hope, turned into a vengeful yokai after being sacrificed and tormented. Its gaze brings ruin, driving victims to take their own lives. This is trauma made flesh, an ancient wound lashing out at the world.
When the spirit possesses Jiji, it’s not just a danger to others, it’s a parasite gnawing at his identity. His spiritual energy makes him the perfect vessel, and the more the Evil Eye takes over, the harder it becomes to separate the boy from the curse.
Protecting Jiji Means Protecting Each Other
Momo, Okarun and Aira are united by one goal: save Jiji without destroying him. That’s easier said than done when his possessed form is capable of crushing you in seconds.
When Momo is attacked by the Evil Eye, Okarun throws himself into the fight with reckless devotion. He pushes his Turbo Granny powers to the limit, even willing to make himself the curse’s sole target. This isn’t just about bravery, it’s about shouldering the danger so the person you love doesn’t have to.
The arc shows how protecting someone you care about isn’t always clean or safe. Sometimes it’s about standing your ground in the ugliest moments, even when you’re scared you’ll lose.
Empathy in the Face of the Unforgivable
The real tension isn’t just in fists and curses. It’s in the moral split within the group. Do you destroy the Evil Eye and risk killing Jiji, or do you gamble on finding another way?
Momo refuses to treat Jiji as expendable. She insists on a path that saves him intact, even if it’s harder, even if it’s riskier. That choice gives the arc its emotional backbone. They won’t let one of their own go down without a fight, no matter how dangerous the odds.
How the Anime Changes the Fight
Season 2 of Dandadan sticks to the manga’s emotional core but tweaks the delivery. Science SARU leans hard into horror. Jagged shifts in art style, an unsettling color palette, and lingering shots of the Evil Eye’s transformations make the yokai feel even more nightmarish.
The pacing is brisker than in chapters 51–62, trimming dialogue and condensing some beats, but it makes room for extended fight choreography and power showcases. The anime also digs deeper into Jiji’s psychological connection with the Evil Eye, dramatizing his internal struggle with striking, almost surreal visuals.
It’s not a frame-for-frame adaptation. It’s a moodier, sharper version of the same story, turning tension into something you can practically feel in your teeth.
The Real Fight Was Never Just the Evil Eye
Strip away the yokai battles and the curses, and the Evil Eye arc is about one thing: the fight to hold on to the people you love, even when they’re slipping away.
It’s about the belief that no one is beyond saving, not even when they’re being eaten alive by something ancient and hateful. It’s about the courage to choose empathy over the easy, brutal solution.
Because in Dandadan, the scariest battles aren’t just about beating the monster. They’re about making sure the person you’re fighting for is still there when it’s over.
