Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of the Mermaid Island has become a genuine social phenomenon in Japan, crossing the ¥10 billion box-office milestone. With the film’s success still reverberating, fans are already looking ahead to a potential sequel — and the loudest demand is for a story centred on the fan-favourite yet deeply unsettling character, Momonga.
Momonga: An Outsider From the Start
For first-time viewers, Momonga left a striking — and not entirely positive — impression in the film. In moments where the main cast faced genuine danger, Momonga consistently prioritised personal appetite and possessiveness over the group’s wellbeing, sowing chaos in key battle sequences. The reaction on social media was swift and divided.
In the original manga, Momonga has never been part of the mutual-aid community that Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi have built together. Even when sharing the same space as the main cast, Momonga operates under a completely different set of values and motivations. That fundamental otherness was thrown into sharp relief on the big screen.
The Dark Theory: Did Momonga Swap Bodies With a “Dekatsuyo”?
One long-running fan theory holds that the Momonga we see today is actually a large monster — known colloquially as a “Dekatsuyo” — whose body and personality were swapped with the original Momonga’s, possibly through the intervention of a witch.
Several details in the manga are cited as evidence:
- Momonga’s very first appearance, which carried a “finally pulled it off” energy.
- A scene in which a Dekatsuyo chases Momonga while crying out “Give it back!”
- Momonga’s complete absence of the ethical framework shared by the Chiikawa cast, and an unusual fixation on “cuteness.”
Witches exist within the Chiikawa universe and wield supernatural power. If a body-swap was engineered by such a figure, it would explain Momonga’s alien personality and obsessions in one stroke — and it is precisely this buried mystery that gives the character such narrative depth.
Seven Consecutive Posts: A Signal That the Momonga Arc Is Coming?
Starting 27 July, creator Nagano posted seven consecutive Momonga-focused chapters on their X (formerly Twitter) account. Fans immediately speculated that this marked the formal beginning of a dedicated Momonga storyline.
The manga subsequently returned to its usual slice-of-life tone, but the language and imagery within those seven chapters — particularly references to “subjugation” — were ominous enough to suggest that something significant lies ahead. Whether the body-swap mystery will be resolved, or whether the story will take an entirely unexpected turn, remains to be seen. The brief return to calm has only heightened readers’ anticipation.
The Natural Next Step After ¥10 Billion
Momonga’s actions in the film’s final act, along with the unresolved dynamic between Momonga and the second-hand bookshop, represent loose threads that the Chiikawa universe has yet to address. The darkness and distortion at the core of this character are still waiting to be fully explored.
If the franchise’s broad appeal rests on the tension between everyday cuteness and an undercurrent of unease, then a feature film that digs into the most complex and unsettling of its unresolved storylines seems like the ideal next move. Fans of both the manga and the anime will be watching Nagano’s next steps very closely.
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