Dandadan – Chapter 154 Recap & Review

Unji Zuma 2

Chapter 154 of Dandadan begins with a young Zuma attending a party. Some time passes. A couple of boys rough up and belittle Zuma, leaving Zuma with a bloody nose. Then, Zuma questions why the world operates this way and declares that he wants to smash it to pieces. More time passes. We see Zuma beating up crooks underneath a bridge.

Additionally, Zuma tells the folks he defeated that they’ll be working for him now. Next, Zuma says he wants to start a war. Eventually, Zuma and his allies cross paths with police officers. This leads to Zuma getting arrested by the same nutjob police officer from this story arc. While Zuma is in custody, another gentleman at the officer’s workplace fills him in on Zuma’s life. 

The officer’s co-worker fears for Zuma’s future. Some time passes. Zuma and the officer cross paths. The officer asks Zuma to follow him to his place. There, he tells Zuma that he’ll be his new guardian. Zuma’s not keen on living with the officer. The officer riles up Zuma further and makes an offhand comment about his mother. Zuma attempts to assault the officer.

The officer slams him to the ground. The chapter closes with the officer telling Zuma to work harder if he wants to kill him. 

The Chapter Review

Dandadan Chapter 154 explores Zuma’s backstory to great effect as the previous one. It gives readers more insight into this young delinquent’s upsetting upbringing. Moreover, it’s great knowing the police officer character, who appeared as a total background nutcase, has a significant role to play in this tale. He and Zuma likely developed a decent connection since Zuma’s release from prison back then.

Hopefully, future chapters showcase what the police officer put Zuma through to change him. That aside, Yukinobu Tatsu’s artwork never ceases to “wow” readers. Although the anime has yet to be released, Tatsu’s art quality is on par with other past and present manga artists. Multiple shots in Chapter 154 feel realistic and emotionally impactful. 

Unfortunately, it was semi-difficult to tell who Zuma was during the chapter’s time-skip portions. While Tatsu is known for giving characters wonderful fashion sense, Zuma’s new fashion style made it difficult to pinpoint if it was him beating up the other delinquents in this chapter.

Moreover, it’s a bummer we didn’t see more of Zuma’s adolescent and prison lifestyle play out in this chapter. While the snippets we receive are effective, Tatsu could’ve given fans more scenarios to observe regarding Zuma’s past. But all in all, I’m excited to see what Tatsu unveils regarding Zuma and the officer’s past experiences.