Dash (Manga)

*For other uses of the name **Dash,** see **Dash (Disambiguation).***

**Dash** is an action-adventure fantasy manga series written by sinjunbouffy, and drawn by pinkiesmg, that was published independently on *Toonmass.* The series follows a man named Dee Jun, who is trying to survive in a relentless world, but is able to find people that make it all worthwhile and meaningful to him. The story uses the themes of hope and courage in contrast with an unforgiving world in order to inspire hope, and motivate those who may be going through a great struggle of their own.

The series began serialization in 2000, and published two chapters each week with intermittent breaks, until finally concluding in June, 2023. It is currently the 3rd longest manga by chapter count, at 2063 chapters, and the manga with the most tankoban volumes, at 238 volumes, to be finished. Dash is unequally divided into four seasons, each encompassing a section of the overarching Dash story. The story is segmented into arcs, and arcs with a related main plot will be grouped into sagas, which make up the seasons.

## History and Development

Sinjunbouffy (real name unknown,) was inspired by other manga series of the time. Specifically, he accredits series such as Dragon Ball, Berserk, Fist of the North Star, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, for inspiring the storytelling style and topics that he covered. He would also state series like One Piece, Bleach, and Tower of God would influence his writing at later dates, altering the way he would write the story.

Sinjunbouffy started his career writing short stories like *Quarter Chem Radius,* and *Beast Made 4.* While these stories had their own niche communities, they saw very little commercial and media success. A few years after Beast Made 4 was cancelled, sinjunbouffy would approach *Toonmass* with a story idea similar to that of Dash in 1999. After seven months of development, sinjunbouffy and pinkiesmg would release the first chapter of Dash, to small acclaim. Despite this, the series was locked in for a four volume release, encompassing the first 21 chapters of the series. By the time volume 4 was released, the series was gaining enough popularity to warrant a continuation, and by the conclusion of Season 1, it had become a massive hit. In the first 2 years of its release, Dash would become the highest selling manga in Toonmass' catalog, selling nearly 500,000 copies by 2002.

## Themes and Tone

The world of Dash is emphasized by the narrator and characters in it to be a harsh and dangerous. Considering the level of physical and fantasy violence Dash has, the series is considered by many to be a dark one. While the tone Dash sets is that of dread and futility, its themes are the stark opposite. In several cases, sinjunbouffy and pinkiesmg have each stated that the themes of Dash are meant to inspire hope and courage, and that the dark world is meant to contrast these themes in order to make it even more inspiring when the characters demonstrate bravery and strength.

## Real World References

Dash makes references, or even utilizes aspects of the real world, especially in the realm of mythology and religion.

### Mythology

Dash utilizes many real world mythological figures, and adjusts them to the fictional setting of the series. Many Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse gods have inserts, some with minimal changes to their design and perceived personalities. There are also several Chinese and Buddhist inserts, such as Tathagata and the Songoku.