DAN DA DAN proves to be one of the best anime this Fall anime season. It has a perfect mix of comedy and action, and it’s all made possible with its quirky cast of supernatural beings. Turbo Granny, for instance, is a creepy maniac obsessed with Okarun’s family jewels. The latest whacky legend to join DAN DA DAN‘s roster of evil spirits is Acrobatic Silky.
Just like the other supernatural creatures in the anime, Acrobatic Silky has her own real-world origins. Reasonably, the anime did take creative liberties, making the Yokai a more interesting creature in the world of DAN DA DAN.
Warning: Spoilers for Dandadan manga.
Acrobatic Silky in DAN DA DAN
In the anime, Acrobatic Silky makes her debut as a malevolent spirit haunting Aira. The two characters’ fates crossed during Aira’s childhood years. Aira already had the ability to see spirits at a young age, though she lost it as time progressed. When she lost her mother in her youth, she happened to cross paths with Acrobatic Silky’s spirit form. The young girl mistook her for her mother, addressing her as such. This spurred Acrobatic Silky’s obsession with the girl, haunting her for the next years.
Since Aira lost her ability to see spirits growing up, Acrobatic Silky could only follow her. However, the Yokai attacked the moment Aira regained her spiritual sense through Okarun’s family jewel. For the first time, she saw the Yokai for what she was.
Acrobatic Silky in DAN DA DAN is an extremely tall Yokai with long limbs and jet-black hair. She also dons red lipstick, red nails, a red hat, and a red dress. As her name suggests, she is a flexible creature with enhanced physical abilities. She is obsessed with being a mother, forcing Aira and even Momo to refer to her as such. This attribute of hers is actually due to her rather heartbreaking backstory.
Since it hasn’t been shown in the anime yet, the following info are spoilers for the manga. Acrobatic Silky used to be a human being. She was an impoverished mother. To sustain her and her child’s living expenses, she took loans and worked two jobs. When she used a part of her earning to buy her daughter a dress, the debt collector unfortunately paid her a visit. They forcefully made her cough up her money, then took away her daughter. Bloodied and in despair over the thought of never seeing her daughter again, she danced for one last time before leaping to her death.
Her real-world counterpart — Akusara or Acrobatic Sara Sara
Similar to Turbo Granny, Acrobatic Silky’s real-world origin is Japan. It is based on the urban legend of Akusara or Acrobatic Sara Sara. According to Urban Legends Wiki, her sightings are mostly around Fukushima Prefecture. However, there are supposed sightings all over Japan.
The story apparently goes with a group of people encountering a strange woman introducing herself as Sara Sara. Similar to how she is portrayed in DAN DA DAN, she also wears a red dress and has pale skin and long, black hair. Akusara then will perform humanly impossible acrobatic acts, and then challenge those who encounter her. After the performance, she will simply vanish. At that point, she already cursed them, causing them to suffer terrible fates and even death.
According to other sources, however, Akusara’s origins can be traced back to online forums like 2 Chan. In this version, Akusara has scars on her left arm, hollow eyes, and a mouth cut from ear to ear. She also performs acrobatic stunts in urban areas, jumping from one building to another. She jumps into oncoming traffic and vanishes before hitting the ground. This usually causes traffic accidents.
Furthermore, whoever sees her is bound to suffer tragic fates. Akusara supposedly follows the witnesses, who are usually young men. Afterward, these men will simply vanish without a trace.
