Cursed House Arc

## Arc Chronology

The **Cursed House Arc** is the fourth story arc of the *Dandadan* manga series.

After an evil spirit haunts the house of her childhood friend Jiji, Momo is tasked with the job of exorcising it with help from Okarun. The situation then escalates after the three children learn of the dark secrets Jiji's landlords has kept hidden within the house.

## Synopsis

### The Anatomical Models

Okarun becomes intimidated by Jiji based on his good looks and him being Momo's childhood friend according to Seiko. However, he, along with Momo and Aira, become unamused by his outburst to Momo's face at the door. Momo then learns from Seiko that Jiji will be staying with them for the time being until his parents are out of the hospital, much to her disapproval. Aira becomes paranoid by Jiji's sudden appearance, thinking that Momo is trying to gather allies for the end of the world, and tells her that she will stop her before dashing out, which adds to Momo's annoyance. Okarun prepares to leave as well but not before telling Momo that he will "see her tomorrow" as the latter demanded, having told it to him the last time. This causes the two to blush as they walk away.

While washing dishes, Jiji tells Momo that he regretted having made fun of her when they were little and that he is now able to see spirits after one started haunting him at his house. Although he came to Seiko for help to exorcise the spirit, Seiko tells Momo that she will be the one to complete the task since her powers only work within Kamikoshi City and that Okarun's kintama may have something to do with Jiji being able to see spirits.

At school, Momo becomes annoyed with Jiji antics after he is assigned to her class, while Okarun becomes concerned that Momo will no longer be friends with him now that Jiji is back in her life. During lunch, Momo meets up with Okarun while he is training. The two are then joined by Jiji who cheers Momo up by offering her her favorite yogurt. Okarun becomes depressed seeing Momo having a nice time with Jiji and walks away, thinking that she is better off hanging out with Jiji than him. While walking away he suddenly sees an anatomical model heading his way and warns Momo. After being moved out of the way by Jiji, Momo sees a shiny ball on the anatomical model's crotch after he jumps over her and tries to stop him with her psychic power, thinking that it is Okarun's second kintama. However, she, along with Jiji who continues to hold onto her, is pulled with him as the anatomical model refuses to stop moving forward. Okarun then uses his Turbo-Granny speed to catch up to the anatomical model and saves Momo and Jiji from being hit by a bus. With Okarun's help, Momo tries to stop the anatomical model from running but ends up losing him after he disassembles himself from her grip. Luckily, the three manage to track him down to a junkyard by following his screams of pain from Momo constantly striking his heart that he had left behind. Momo, Okarun, and Jiji then see the anatomical model named Taro rushing over to a female anatomical model named Hana amongst the garbage. As Taro expresses his feelings towards Hana, Okarun blushes upon reflecting on how his feelings is similar to how he feels about Momo.

After bringing Hana to Momo's house, Seiko agrees to take her in as a resident while Taro, whose shiny ball turned out to be a Christmas ornament instead of Okarun's kintama, agrees to remain at school in exchange for seeing Hana from time to time. While Momo sets up the table for dinner, Okarun, feeling inspired by Taro's words to Hana at the junkyard, expresses his resolve to Momo, through a song, to be more confident with himself, which prompts Jiji into joining him. Okarun then learns from Momo that she is planning on traveling to Jiji's house to rid it of a curse and is in need of his help to accomplish this, much to his enthusiasm to resolve the matter quickly. The next morning, Taro meets with Hana who has been waiting patiently with Momo at her side, while Jiji wakes up from having a nightmare about the evil spirit.

### The House Soaked in Blood

During the train ride to Jiji's house, Momo, Okarun, and Jiji play a game of cards and discuss the legend of the Tsuchinoko brought up by Okarun, which led to him enjoying a conversation with Jiji. After arriving at the house, Momo concluded in her investigation that the evil spirit haunting Jiji is hiding and that their best chance of encountering it is during the night. While Momo uses this chance to visit the hot springs, Okarun is invited by Jiji to play a game of soccer. As the two kicked the ball around, Jiji curiously asked Okarun if he has any feelings for Momo. Okarun answers that he respects Momo since she is important to him but winds up adding other things that he likes about her after Jiji started to do so, which leads to the two engaging in a dispute to see which of them likes Momo more. Their argument comes to an end after Jiji noticed a strange wall connected to the house. After busting a hole on the other side of the wall, Okarun and Jiji discover a hidden room filled with talismans, much to their shock. Shortly after, the female members of the Kito Family, Jiji's landlords, arrive at the doorstep.

At the hot springs, Momo is prevented from leaving after the male Kito Family members enter with the intention of assaulting her. Momo attempts to defend herself by using her powers but has her arms restrained by one of the men. Luckily, she is saved after the walls of the hot springs mysteriously start to fall down on the men. Momo then discovered the Turbo-Granny in the bath who revealed that she snuck in her bag earlier to enjoy the hot springs as well. While the locals chase down the male Kito Family members, Momo takes her leave hoping that the men get arrested and becomes informed by the Turbo-Granny that Jiji's house is soaked in blood. Shortly after, Momo visits the Tsuchinoko shrine where a strange priest presents to her the Tsuchinoko's shedded skin and tells her about the village's history of making human sacrifices to please the Tsuchinoko and prevent it from causing the village volcano from erupting.

After the female Kito Family members make themselves comfortable in Jiji's house, the head member asks Jiji about his sudden disappearance days ago and if he had planned on bringing any more spirit mediums. Jiji tells her that he left to invite Okarun to his house and lies saying that the spirit mediums hired were scam artists. The male Kito Family members from the hot springs then arrive with Officer Tsuru who helped to bail them out of the mob. Jiji is then approached by one of the men who asks who Okarun is. After answering that Okarun is his friend, the man tests to see if he is telling the truth by asking Okarun what Jiji's favorite soccer team is. Although Okarun managed to answer right, using the poster covering the hole Jiji made earlier, Jiji loses trust with the head Kito Family member after she sees through his lie about not bringing over a girl to his house.

Later, Momo returns to the house finding Okarun and Jiji beaten by the Kito Family. She then defends herself against them as they try to attack her and ends up being knocked back into the hidden room by the head Kito Family member's attack. Momo learns from the head Kito Family member that the family have been the ones offering human sacrifices to the Tsuchinoko for the past 200 years inside the house, which made Momo realize that Jiji's parents were also included in this act as well, and that they plan on offering her and her friends as the Tsuchinoko's next victims. Momo then tries to escape the room after it starts to have her sink down but is prevented from leaving by the Kito Family. After regaining conscious, Okarun and Jiji push the Kito Family into the room as well and try to pull Momo out. However, both parties end up being sent down to the lair of generational sacrificial house where the Tsuchinoko resides.

Upon encountering it, the Tsuchinoko, which is revealed to actually be a Mongolian Death Worm by Okarun and the Turbo-Granny, goes on a rampage and swallows the Kito Family in light of them presenting themselves as its worshippers. Momo, Okarun, and Jiji try hiding inside the layer of houses to avoid being eaten by the Tsuchinoko. Though they were out of the Mongolian Death Worm's sight, Momo and Okarun end up falling victim to the Tsuchinoko's psychic waves that forces them to make attempts at suicide. Jiji, who is unaffected by the psychic waves for reasons only the Turbo-Granny seems to be aware of, makes an effort to stop them from going through with this act but faces the problem of having to avoid the Tsuchinoko's attacks on the house as the worm starts detecting the sounds they make. Just as the Tsuchinoko spots Jiji outside trying to prevent Momo and Okarun from suicide jumping, the evil spirit that had been haunting Jiji appears right in front of him.

Momo and Okarun regain their sanity as a result of the evil spirit appearing and are then informed by the Turbo-Granny that the evil spirit is the Evil Eye, a yokai known for cursing others to commit suicide with its evil gaze, which is clashing with the Tsuchinoko's psychic waves. Okarun uses the opportunity to enter his Turbo-Granny form and launch himself at the Tsuchinoko to behead it, however, the worm regenerates from the damage and chases after Momo and Jiji. As the Evil Eye follows him, Jiji asks him if it was true that he wasn't the one responsible for his parent's suicide attempt. The Evil Eye response by making close eye contact with Jiji and showing him his memories before and after his death. Momo tries pulling the Evil Eye off of Jiji but is told by the latter not to, explaining that the Evil Eye is a victim and races down below to the layer of houses where the Evil Eye's corpse is. The Turbo-Granny tells Jiji not to get any closer to the Evil Eye's corpse or to sympathize with it given its nature but is disagreed with by Jiji who believes that he is no different from them. After Okarun strains himself from distracting the Tsuchinoko, the Mongolian Death Worm goes back to targeting Momo, Jiji, and the Turbo-Granny by electrocuting them and trapping them with its sticky phlegm. Momo prepares to have them escape using her powers but sees Jiji unconscious and suddenly screaming in pain. Momo then becomes helpless as the Tsuchinoko dives down to swallow its captives but is saved on time by Jiji who punches it. However, it is revealed that the Evil Eye is the one in control of Jiji's body, after Jiji agreed in his subconscious to play with him, after the yokai states his intentions of using his new vessel to kill all humans.

Just as the Turbo-Granny warns Momo to get her powers ready, the Evil Eye kicks her away and have her pinned to the wall. He then erects a barrier created from the grudges of those sacrificed to block the Tsuchinoko's electricity and has it retreat within the ground after attacking it with a grudge ball. Momo learns from the Turbo-Granny that Jiji possesses formidable spiritual power that the Evil Eye sought for himself and to prepare to defend herself against the yokai as he comes in to attack her. Momo is then saved by Okarun, who becomes furious with the Evil Eye for harming Momo, after he blocks the Evil Eye's next attack and carries Momo up to the top of the lair. Okarun tells Momo that they can't stay underground for too long due to the Tsuchinoko releasing venom in the lair and that the only way they can defeat it is to expose it to sunlight. With Jiji currently possessed, Okarun tells Momo that he will help her to escape while he handles the Evil Eye. Momo refuses to leave Okarun behind but complies to put her trust in him after hearing him out and that she will return for him later. After managing to launch Momo up towards the surface to have her escape, Okarun becomes confronted by the Evil Eye and gets ready to fight him. While unable to create a rope long enough for Okarun to climb up, Momo comes up with an idea after remembering her childhood with Jiji and takes action by setting the house on fire.

Okarun fights the Evil Eye but loses ground in their battle. With the Tsuchinoko's poison effecting Jiji's body, the Evil Eye decides that it was time to bring the battle to an end by trapping Okarun inside his Cursed House to limit his movement and entering to ruthlessly beat him with a volley of punches. The Evil Eye becomes ecstatic as he harms Okarun and tells him that he will target Momo next after he finishes him off. Hearing this, Okarun grabs the Evil Eye's face to have him stop talking and tells him how furious he is with him for trying to hurt Momo earlier and for defiling Jiji's body. As he does so, Okarun attacks the Evil Eye with a series of squat punches and knocks him unconscious with his last squat punch that sends him upwards out of his Cursed House. Though exhausted from his battle, Okarun tries to muster up enough strength to stand back on his feet and try to figure out a way to escape the lair.

After moving Jiji's body, Okarun hears the Turbo-Granny screaming for help down below as she remains trapped by the Tsuchinoko's sticky phlegm and goes down to help get her out. However, after Okarun accidently gets himself trapped as well, both he and the Turbo-Granny start to panic and yell out for Momo to come and help them.

### Momo vs. the Volcano

After the fire department arrived to put out the Enjoji house fire, Momo, as she is being detained by the police for starting the fire, yells out to the firemen to hose down the ground before the sun sets. Momo and the public then start to feel the ground shaking and witness the Tsuchinoko emerging from the house, much to everyone's horror as they run in panic. As a result of coming outside for air, after drowning from the water soaked from the ground, the Tsuchinoko begins to dry up from being exposed to sunlight, just as Momo had planned after remembering a lesson about worms Jiji previously taught to her in the past. Seeing the Tsuchinoko taking cover from the sun by hiding behind the Enjoji house, Momo uses her psychic powers to destroy the house by throwing a fire truck at it and the Tsuchinoko, leading to the worm's death as it fully succumbs to the sun's rays.

After checking to seeing if the Tsuchinoko is completely dead, Momo becomes frightened as it vomits out the Kito Family, much to Momo's shock to see that they are still alive. Momo is then blamed by the head Kito Family member for killing the Tsuchinoko due to its death leading to the village volcano erupting as told in the prophecy. After hearing the head member recite the legend, Momo realizes its true meaning and corrects her, stating that the legend was directed towards the fountain located at the hot springs and takes action by using her powers to carry the end of the Tsuchinoko's remains all the way to the fountain where she plugs it with the worm's anus. Figuring that the Tsuchinoko can act as a large hose, Momo cools down the magma in the forest as the water starts to pump the Tsuchinoko's mucus out from its mouth.

Though her plan works, Momo is interfered by the head Kito Family member who refuses to allow her to make a mockery of the Tsuchinoko and take credit in protecting the village. Momo is then defended from them by Manjiro, the Tsuchinoko shrine priest she previously met who reveals himself to be a disciple of Seiko, but is once again met with interference by the Evil Eye who managed to escape the Tsuchinoko's lair and damage the Tsuchinoko. Momo, Manjiro, and the head Kito Family members defend themselves against the Evil Eye until Seiko arrives with the Dover Demon, his son Chiquitita, and Taro to seal have the yokai sealed inside of the anatomical model. With the Evil Eye captured, Seiko states that it was time to leave.

While Chiquitita pilots the Dover Demon's UFO to handle hosing down the lava with the Tsuchinoko's corpse, Momo rushes to the Tsuchinoko's lair to help Okarun escape but becomes distraught to see the pit filled with lava. After Chiquitita lends his assistance by controlling the UFO to lift out a large chunk of magma out of the lava, Momo pries it open to find Okarun and the Turbo-Granny inside, having survived from being surrounded by the Tsuchinoko's phlegm. As she helps get Okarun out, Momo embraces him after he accidently falls on her and tells him that she is relieved that he managed to stay alive.

### Splash-and-Switch

At the Ayase residence, Seiko, Momo, and Manjiro try to exorcise the Evil Eye but fail as the yokai's possession over Jiji proves to be too strong. At the dinner table, Aira complains to Momo about not being included in her mission to help Jiji and asks the Dover Demon why he is back on Earth. The Dover Demon explains that the cow he was given couldn't produce any milk, it was unsuitable to survive on his planet and that it would be best for him and Chiquitita to live on Earth in order for his son to receive a constant intake of milk for his health. Manjiro talks to Seiko about hiring the Hayashi for their next attempt at separating the Evil Eye from Jiji but worries about the worst-case scenarios. The group then become shocked to hear Jiji's voice coming from Taro after he eats the oden served and opens up the anatomical model's face to find Jiji back to normal. Seiko figures out the reason behind the Evil Eye's possession being undone by splashing Jiji with cold water and hot broth from the oden, revealing to everyone that the curse can only be temporarily broken if the Evil Eye comes into contact with hot water but will be active once again if Jiji comes into contact with cold water. Knowing how the curse works now, Seiko instructs Taro to remain attached to Jiji's body until the effects of the barrier wears off and gives Momo and Okarun hot water thermos as they monitor Jiji in case he accidently touches cold water.

The next day, Jiji is taken by Seiko to see his parents in the hospital. On the drive there, Momo has a moment with Okarun where she playfully touches his hand after he accidently touches hers, causing both of them to blush until they are interrupted by Jiji who complains to Momo on how Taro will not comply to move as he wants. At the hospital, Jiji becomes emotional to reunite with his parents and news of the Kito Family's arrest has been reported. The head of the Kito Family, Naki Kito, manages to escape arrest as the police are on the lookout for her and chooses to reveal her Subterranean form as she declares vengeance on Momo for ruining her plans with the Tsuchinoko.