Seiko Ayase

Animation: Dandadan: Evil Eye (Movie)

Running an operation on the spiritual underbelly of Kamikoshi City, Seiko Ayase is the kind of grandmother who could exorcise a demon before breakfast and still have time to cook crab hotpot for everyone involved. Known in the medium world by her working name Santa Dodoria, she serves as both the supernatural backbone and the beating heart of Dandadan, guiding her granddaughter Momo and the cursed Okarun through a world overrun with yokai, aliens, and things far stranger.

Seiko Ayase’s Role and Personality in Dandadan

At 62 years old but looking decades younger, Seiko carries herself with the brash confidence of someone who has seen every nightmare the spirit world has to offer and won. Her power comes not from innate ability but from a borrowed connection to the local land deity, making her formidable within Kamikoshi but vulnerable the moment she crosses its borders. She speaks in an unvarnished, rough-around-the-edges way that masks a deep current of altruism. When Okarun offered her money after she sealed Turbo Granny’s curse, she turned it down and told him to pay his debts forward instead. That single moment says everything about who she is. Her toughness is never cruelty; it is the philosophy of a woman who believes adults exist to absorb burdens so the young can grow freely.

Who Voices Seiko Ayase in Dandadan: Evil Eye?

In the English dub, Seiko is voiced by Kari Wahlgren, a veteran of the craft best recognized for her long run as Celty Sturluson in Durarara!! and Saber across multiple entries in the Fate franchise. Wahlgren has described taking the role as an absolute blast, capturing the mix of wit and authority that makes Seiko so distinct. In Japanese, the role belongs to Nana Mizuki, widely celebrated for voicing Hinata Hyuga throughout the Naruto franchise. Mizuki brings a gravitas to Seiko that grounds the character’s more comedic edges in genuine warmth.