Since the dawn of time, anime has been a top genre for thousands of people. While watching anime only recently became more mainstream, more people admitting to enjoying it than they did in middle school has created an interesting shift in genre within the last couple of years.
If you don’t generally watch anime, there are two main genres: shojo and shonen.
Shojo is what someone could consider a romance, and shonen is an action-packed show that occasionally has some sort of superpower brought by various body parts. These two genres, among many others, are heavily watched and enjoyed, but also fall victim to the same patriarchal values that can be seen across other media.
While a big, strong male lead makes a wonderful part of the plot for many, and fodder for a plethora of fanfiction, it can be disheartening to the young female audience to consistently see women in a “subservient” role.
With this in mind, it’s important to remember that shonen anime has had a rich history of male protagonists and fan-serviced women, and shojo anime doesn’t get particularly better in this regard.
Nevertheless, parts of this culture are changing and growing, making way for this switch. While not quite starting in 2026, a beloved show called Dandadan is a great example of this. The show is a remarkable moment in shonen anime history, creating an exciting change in the genre.
What is Dandadan?
Dandadan was created by Yukinobu Tatsu, a Japanese manga artist. While the show has questionable elements, such as the nudity in particular scenes in the show, it’s changing the shonen anime genre.
Shonen anime tends to have male protagonists, especially in the shows specifically made for the young male audience, around 15 years or older, but Dandadan breaks the mold. Dandadan has a female protagonist who genuinely runs the show and leads the characters in it.
The female protagonist, Momo Ayase, stands on her own, honing her powers and running her team as a leader, which isn’t common in shonen anime. Her personality also breaks traditional genre conventions, as she’s outspoken and rebellious, while the male main character is timid and awkward.
The inspiration for Momo’s character is interesting; the wonderful female protagonist only exists due to the creator, Yukinobu Tatsu, saying, “I had never drawn a main character who was a gal, so I thought it would be more imaginative to draw something I didn’t know, so maybe that’s why I made her a gal.”
Dandadan’s two main characters’ personalities are switched when you compare the dynamic to the shows of the ’90s or early 2000s, and Yukinobu was very adamant about this choice, not changing his mind when the studio he used to create the show asked him to change it.
Yukinobu did add a male lead, Okarun, who remains a secondary character to Momo. He fully relies on her, unlike traditional shonen anime, where traditional female leads would typically rely on male main characters.
Romance in Dandadan
A very special part of Dandadan is the budding romance between Momo and Okarun, as it’s very different from the traditional plot of shonen anime. While there’s some romance in action when the guy saves the girl, if you’re a romance connoisseur like me, you’ll probably agree that this tried-and-true plot is half-baked at best.
Dandadan contains a romance as well, but one heavily researched by the world’s best method of research: watching anime. Their romance is built on equality and the idea that Momo is someone for Okarun to look up to, which is special to see in a place where women don’t tend to experience equality in their relationships.
Dandadan definitely isn’t the first anime to have a female protagonist and, hopefully, not the last, but it’s a mark in history of a positive shift in anime that will open young audiences to more strong female leads. Filling out the imbalance of strength between male and female characters will draw in people who will work to close the gap in real life, too.
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