Dandadan chapter 184: Aira rescues Rin, who saves her in return

Modified Mar 03, 2025 19:00 GMT

Dandadan chapter 184: Aira rescues Rin, who saves her in return (Image via Science SARU)

Dandadan chapter 184 was expected to continue focusing on Aira Shiratori and her efforts to rescue Rin Sawaki and Kouki Yukishiro from the Orchestrator and an unknown assailant. Officially released on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 in Japan, the installment did indeed continue to highlight Aira’s struggles against some new headless enemies.

However, Dandadan chapter 184 surprised fans in how it went about Aira’s efforts, which did see her save Rin Sawaki at the apparent cost of her own head being severed from its body. Thankfully, Rin was able to return the favor in the issue’s closing focus, setting up the pair to take on their still-unseen assailant in the subsequent release.

Dandadan chapter 184 sees Rin and Aira setup to save Kouki together in next release

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Dandadan chapter 184 opened immediately where the previous issue ended, seeing Aira Shiratori use her hair to grab Rin’s head and pull it to her. Mai Kawabanga followed, with Aira asking what happened while Mai begged her to help Rin. She explained that the headless yokai below did this to rin, grabbing her and slam–dunking her through a basketball hoop. This caused her head to pop off and her body to begin fighting as the others had.

The headless yokai below then began grabbing and firing their heads at Aira, Rin, and Mai. As Aira dodged, she realized something was spilling out of Rin’s neck, prompting her to ask Mai what the yokai below were. She called them "severed-head dribblers,” explaining the folktale that if one sneaks into a gym at night to play, they’ll appear and look for their balls, or in other words, the heads of others.

Dandadan chapter 184 saw Aira elect to continue searching for the person with the power causing the yokai to appear. However, as she spoke, Rin awoke and called out to her, thanking her for coming while also saying Kouki was in trouble. After each screamed in shock at the situation, Mai explained that Rin was alive, but her body was in the afterlife. Likewise, what was pouring out of her neck was her lifeforce.

Rin's idol abilities return in Dandadan chapter 184 (Image via Shueisha)

If it continued to pour out until it was empty, then she’d be forced to drift in this limbo-like state for all eternity since her body was already in the afterlife and her head was the only thing alive. The dribblers then fired some shots at them, which Mai tried to shield Aira and Rin from. However, Aira instead shielded Mai and Rin, being severely injured as a result and starting to crash towards the gymnasium floor.

After reaching the floor, Dandadan chapter 184 saw one of the dribblers grab Aira’s body by her head, rushing to a rim and planning to dunk her through it to sever her head. As this happened, Aira remembered playing with her friends one time, where they pretended one of the dolls had become just a head by positioning it in a toy bath a certain way. Aira explained the truth in-character as she pulled the doll out of the bath, revealing its full body attached.

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Aira equated this act of reversal to Rin’s current situation, choosing to spend her last moments saving not herself, but Rin by shoving her head up and through the hoop rather than down it. This caused Rin’s full body with her head attached to pop out of the hoop. However, Aira was still in danger of being dunked, and other dribblers were already reaching for Rin’s head to sever it from her body once again.

Thankfully, Dandadan chapter 184 saw Rin and Mai able to merge in time, transforming her into her Onbusuman idol form. As Aira commented on how revealing Rin’s outfit was, the dribblers attacked them yet again. Thankfully, Rin began singing and used her gravity controlling abilities to ground the shots. The issue ended with Rin trying to protect Aira herself, and Aira responding that she was the leader as they prepared to fight side-by-side.

Final thoughts

Aira Shiratori prepares to prove herself as a leader in the final moments of Dandadan chapter 184 (Image via Science SARU)

With both Aira and Rin able to fight now, chapter 184 is seemingly setting the pair up to all but end their fight in the next installment. They’ll likely quickly identify their enemy as one of their teachers Murakami, whose size and stature matched that of the character seen stalking Rin. Likewise, fans can expect the fight to all but wrap up or possibly even conclude in the next issue, setting up a shift in focus to Okarun and Kinta for the subsequent release.