Science Saru’s New Sanda Anime Is The Perfect Dandadan Replacement for Fall 2025

The completion of the second season of Dandadan has definitely left a void among fans who will now have to look for a new anime from the Fall 2025 lineup to move on. Thankfully, Science SARU, the studio behind Dandadan, is back with a show that seems promising right away. With just the first episode getting released, it is already causing buzz within the anime community due to its similarity to Dandadan.

Science SARU’s latest shonen anime, Sanda, comes with a never-before-seen premise filled with action and mystery. But that is not all, as it also introduces some interesting and complex characters, who are bound to become iconic in the long run. Apart from that, Sanda has fluid and seamless animation, similar to the brilliant quality of its predecessor. But the most defining element of Sanda is its bold and chaotic debut episode, which proves it is the perfect replacement for Dandadan.

Sanda Introduces Itself as Brazenly as Dandadan

Dandadan became an instant hit due to its very memorable first episode that shocked and intrigued fans right away. The episode opened with a scuffle, where Momo lands a swift kick on her scumbag ex-boyfriend and gets hurt in the process. Her obsession with Ken Takakura is established, which later becomes a subtle yet crucial element foreshadowing her relationship with Okarun. This scene also came with some high-octane background music that right away gave the anime a goofy feel. Soon after, the male protagonist is introduced, and things progress towards the part where they both visit each other’s recommended place to prove the other wrong.

However, things take a completely different turn here when Momo and Okarun get attacked by aliens and ghosts, respectively. This was a shocking turn of events, and the way the studio utilizes light to illustrate the entire sequence makes it all the more menacing and scary. Something very similar is the overall vibe of Sanda, which also opens with a startling scene. The hero of the story, Sanda, starts the episode with a commentary on a girl’s bottom being colder than he imagined while his female classmate, Fuyumura, is preparing to stab him.

Despite this whole ordeal being quite scary, Sanda, having no idea as to why he is being targeted, comes off funny with his silly commentary. Before Fuyumura could stab Sanda, someone came right in the nick of time, and they went back to acting as if nothing had happened. The bizarreness of the situation does not end here, as the story unravels some more secrets regarding the world of Sanda. Here, people do not celebrate Christmas anymore, nor do they make a wish to Santa Claus. This is precisely why Sanda, who later gets revealed to be a descendant of Santa Claus, gets roped into a huge mess when Fuyumura figures out how to draw out his abilities.

Just like Dandadan, Sanda makes it clear that it will most likely also focus on two central characters instead of just one, which is atypical of a shonen anime. The themes of the two shows are also strikingly alike as they both carry a quirky essence infused with humor, and some profound elements on the side. Though it is still too early to say just how good Sanda will turn out to be, it has already learned one thing. It made its first episode so interesting that the audience feels compelled to return for the next one, a quality Dandadan mastered.

Sanda Doubles Down on the Chaos That Made Dandadan a Hit

Right off the bat, Sanda is unapologetic in its depiction of violence and unhinged characters. This is to be expected from the creator of the franchise, Paru Itagaki, who is also wildly famous for works like Beastars and Botabota. She is seasoned in handling distinctive narratives with multifaceted personalities who feel lifelike rather than fictional. Here as well, Sanda genuinely comes off as a naive yet helpful boy who, despite being targeted, creates his own fantasies about his potential killer because he always liked her. For example, Sanda dubs Fuyumura’s murderous intent as her being shy in front of him.

According to him, she just wanted to confess her love for him, and nothing else. Even his friend is aware of his stupidity and warns him about how his thought process can land him in an early grave. However, the same person transforms into a tall, very powerful, big-statured older man, who can also pose as a responsible adult. This strange concoction of humor, horror, and human vulnerability defines Itagaki’s work, and that becomes even more evident with Fuyumura, who has a motive behind her actions.

Compared to Sanda, Fuyumura is way more intriguing because she is not on a mindless murder rampage. It becomes clear through her behavior that she is a bit of a loner who hardly ever talks to anyone. The only person for whom she genuinely cared was her friend, Ono, who everyone believes to be dead. Fuyumura, however, disagrees as she thinks that somebody from the school has captured her, or Ono has just vanished. Because Santa Claus is the only person who can make a child’s wish come true, Fuyumura believes that Sanda can bring her friend back. And just to make it happen, she can go to extreme lengths, including killing anyone and everyone.

In this sense, Sanda amplifies the chaos to a level that surpasses even Dandadan. There, at least the protagonists are completely normal, who happen to land themselves in very absurd situations. For example, in the first episode of Dandadan, the ghost of Turbo Granny took Okarun’s family jewels, and Momo was on the verge of losing her reproductive organs to the Serpo aliens. Nothing bad happened because Okarun managed to come to Momo’s rescue, and Momo later unlocked her latent psychokinetic powers. Sanda also provides a similar kind of bizarre feeling, but this time, the characters themselves are anything but normal.

In the very first episode, Fuyumura literally stabs Sanda in the hopes of proving his powers. Even when Sanda was lying in his own blood, she was more concerned about him not being able to fulfill her wish rather than him completely dying. Luckily, Sanda did turn out to be exactly what Fuyumura wanted him to be, but had he been just a normal high schooler, the situation would have turned out differently.

Later, she again showcases her unempathetic outlook when she plants a bomb in her own classroom so that she can force Sanda to do her bidding. He somehow manages to control the situation, but again, this confirms how the characters of this anime are not exactly right in the head. There exists a very warped sense of morality in here, preparing the audience for a shocking and darkly humorous journey ahead.

Science SARU Delivers Another Visual Masterpiece With Sanda’s Stunning Animation

Science SARU has a reputation for selecting projects with a great storyline, unconventional themes, and riveting characters. But they are also known for their breathtaking animation quality, which perfectly complements the remarkable worlds they create. They showcased their mastery in Devilman: Crybaby, where the exaggerated movements and color contrast between brighter and darker palettes highlighted the innate violence of the plotline.

Just like that, Dandadan features a dynamic and experimental animation style that enhances the flawless art quality of the original manga even more. Fans have frequently praised the character designs and bold choice of colors to depict a world that blends science fiction with the supernatural. The first episode, for instance, employs intense reds during Okarun’s ordeal with Turbo Granny and shades of blues during Momo’s confrontation in the spaceship. This visually distinguishes their emotional and circumstantial states.

Similarly, Science SARU again showcased their abilities in Sanda, where they use a very muted color palette with additional inclusion of bright red to further emphasize the importance of that color in this context. Red is the color of Santa Claus, and that becomes a key element in unlocking Sanda’s transformation. However, the highlight of the first episode is hands down the explosion sequence because of the bomb planted by Fuyumura. This moment is vital, as it demonstrates Sanda’s immense power when he contains the entire blast and emerges completely unscathed. Needless to say, Science SARU animated this scene phenomenally.

Dandadan is not just famous for its absurdity, as it also has an engaging narrative and well-written characters. Likewise, Sanda showcased enough in its first episode to promise an entertaining watch experience. If they can continue the same way, this can very well be the next best new-gen shonen anime that might even surpass Dandadan.