Dandadan Really Doesn’t Sample Pikmin in Its Opening and Here’s the Proof

Dandadan had sparked a mystery with its opening theme that seemingly snuck in some sounds that reminded fans of Nintendo’s Pikmin, but one fan has uncovered the true origins of the sound in a cool new way. Dandadan has been taking over screens as part of the wave of anime hitting for the Fall 2024 anime season, and the first few episodes of the series have proven why this has been the show that fans have been waiting to see all year. It all kicked off with an awesome opening theme song that perfectly sets the tone, and one wacky part of it really caught on with fans.

In the Dandadan opening theme titled “Otonoke” as performed by Creepy Nuts (the group that has gone viral for other anime hits heard in the likes of Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2), fans couldn’t help but point out a small sound in the theme song. This sound had gone viral for reminding fans of small creatures like mosquitos, and even Pikmin, but Dankidydan on Reddit actually discovered that the sound being sampled comes from a 1915 song from Billy Murray, “I’ve Been Floating Down the Old Green River.” Check out the results in the video above.

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Dandadan’s Pikmin Sounds Have Been Discovered

Dandadan fans couldn’t help but notice the smaller sounds heard throughout the opening theme, and joked that it could even be Pikmin noises. This helped the opening theme reach a whole new level of viral with its first few weeks, but Dankidydan on Reddit actually figured out the source of these sounds comes from a very old song released back in 1915. Originally performed by Billy Murray, the lyrics for “I’ve Been Floating Down the Old Green River” have been chopped, sped up, and used throughout Creepy Nuts’ “Otonoke.”

In particular, the lyrics used are “…the schooners went past” and “The ship got wrecked with.” These bits have been chopped, sped up, and raised in pitch to result in the “Pikmin” like noise that fans were drawn to. But thanks to the final unedited line that Dankidydan on Reddit notes, “The captain and crew” was what allowed the fan to figure out the source for the samples in the first place. It’s such a deep cut of a song that fans likely would have never figured it out otherwise, and goes to show how many layers are actually in Dandadan‘s opening.

Why This Song?

Creepy Nuts most likely has a great explanation and thought process as to why they chose this song to sample for “Otonoke they have yet to fully explain,” but on its face, “I’ve Been Floating Down the Green River” is a rather obscure choice. The song was originally performed in 1915 by Billy Murray with lyrics written by Bert Kalmar and music composed by Joe Cooper. The “Green River” refers to a popular brand of whiskey at the time, and is written from the perspective of a husband who’s trying to explain to his wife why he was out all night drinking.

It’s certainly a fitting vibe for Dandadan as a whole as Momo and Okarun have been spending their nights fighting wild ghosts and aliens in a trippy manner. And it’s just another fact of what makes this anime so special. Yukinobu Tatsu’s original Dandadan manga was already a cult hit with Shueisha’s Jump+, but the anime adaptation has taken what worked and evolves it to a new level through its presentation. No wonder fans have been excited to see this new anime all year as it’s really coming through strong thus far.