"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (2025)

One Dandadan scene will make you cry like a baby after you realize the pain that protagonist, Ken Takakura, has suffered for years.

Written by: Aaheli

Reviewed by: Rishabh

"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (1)

SUMMARY

  • A scene in Dandadan anime's episode 1 shows Ken being vulnerable as he begs the aliens to not harm Momo.
  • The English dub voice actor of Ken, AJ Beckles also admitted that that he almost cried at the studio during this scene.
  • It expresses how lonely Ken has been for years, ultimately finding the concept of aliens as an escape.

Dandadan might be an action-packed series, but before anything else, it is about a lonely person and his fight with himself. The Dandadan anime debuted its first episode on October 3, 2024, and has become an instant hit. But the series has much more to it than its supernatural theme.

Ken Takakura, the protagonist of the anime, is not just about his unknown powers. Rather than being a confident character, he is insecure about himself and stands out from the rest of the Shonen protagonists. In one particular scene, his feelings are expressed out loud.

The Dandadan Scene That is Bound to Make You Cry

"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (2)

Episode 1 of Dandadan acts as an introductory episode to the series and its supernatural elements. But before it delves into aliens and ghosts, it shows the protagonist, Ken Takakura, and his emotional vulnerability. At the very beginning of the episode, it is shown that Ken is a lonely guy who is often bullied by others. But the extent of it is known only when Ken erupts into an emotional monologue.

this scene right here. the delivery feels so RAW i actually started tearing up while watching it 😭@AJBecklesVO you da best https://t.co/5H0YbtB561 pic.twitter.com/B5wW6Em7vs

— ♪ taylor: #1 seph stan 🔜 wasabi con (@ffiercewings) October 4, 2024

As the aliens called Serpo try to take away Momo, the female lead of the series, Ken stops them and tells them to take everything he has in return for not hurting Momo. He visually breaks down and talks about how he has never had anyone who would stand up for him other than Momo.

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This gut-wrenching scene shows how much Ken has been clutching at straws. While he seemed like an annoying nerd who just attached himself to Momo as soon as possible, he did it because he was desperate to have a friend or someone to rely on. Regardless to say, the sequence will make you cry, just like it made the voice actor of Ken cry.

The Voice Actor of Ken Nearly Cried at Ken’s Vulnerability

"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (4)

AJ Beckles voices Ken Takakura, the protagonist of Dandadan. In an X post, the cast member talked about how this particular scene from the anime where Ken talked about his struggles with being alone almost led him to tears in the studio. Beckles also talked about his personal interpretation of the scene.

This is the scene where i nearly cried in studio.

My personal interpretation was that Okarun felt absolutely BETRAYED. He had been bullied his whole life. So much so, his escape was an obsession with the ridiculous notion that Aliens were real.

Its the only thing that kept him… https://t.co/wIwZKXhiH0

— AJ Beckles (@AJBecklesVO) October 4, 2024

To Ken, aliens and their theories were a means to escape his depressing life. He himself felt alienated from the world, so his only solace was to think of actual aliens. Maybe he thought that if there were creatures who existed out of Earth, he might belong with them since he never felt like he belonged with his peers.

"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (5)

The voice actor also elaborated on how much the character must have dealt with this pain for years. But the only thing that gave him any comfort arrived too late and with malicious intentions. The mental impact it must have had on the character must be tremendous, which made him breakdown.

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The Dandadan manga is available to read on Viz Media, and the anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

Dandadan

Written by Aaheli Pradhan

Articles Published: 523

Aaheli is an anime content writer at FandomeWire. With four years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cat.

"His escape was an obsession": Dandadan Voice Actor was Pushed to Tears with One Scene that Tested Okarun's Inner Struggles to Their Full Extent (2025)
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