Sanda is a manga series written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki of Beastars fame. Like Paru's other major manga serializations, it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion, where it ran from 2021 to 2024 and was compiled into 16 volumes. The English translation is handled by Titan Entertainment. An anime adaptation produced by Science Saru was released on October 4, 2025.
Provides examples of:
- Aborted Arc: When Tonakai is introduced, he notes that one of his abilities is to raise things Back from the Dead, a very relevant ability as he shows up shortly after Ono's death. While the group do consider using a field trip to the graveyard as a chance to perform a revival, mishaps prevent the group from getting a genuine chance to try, and the matter is never brought up again, nor is it really discussed after it's discovered the exact same power can also turn anything into a sled.
- Badass Santa: When Sanda turns into Santa he becomes immune to fire, can detect lies, and grows skis on his feet.
- Bittersweet Ending: Santa Claus is mistaken for a murderer and becomes a wanted criminal, but he spends his time in hiding as a vigilante helping clean up the city. Eventually, Sanda works his way out of his depression and Santa becomes a local hero, so he begins delivering gifts to the children, bringing Christmas back to a country that had long forgotten it.
- Central Theme: Age and aging, and the different ways people handle the topic vs the ways they should handle it.
- Children Are Innocent: Played for drama. Adults valuing the innocence and purity of children is why the kids are all so messed up, since their development is intentionally stunted until they hit 18 (and have concoctions that ensure this) and physical exams are just as much about checking their growth as it is maintaining an image of a lovable, cutesy child.
- The Chosen Many: As it turns out, Santa Claus is not a unique individual, and there are in fact many Descendants of various spirits and gods that inhabit human forms.
- Creator Cameo: Paru Itagaki makes a cameo as a teacher in the anime adaptation, voiced by herself, and modeled after a humanized version of the chicken mask she wears in public.
- Cult: The Red Robe Unit functions as such for Fuyumura's father.
- Distant Finale: The last chapters take place 5 years later.
- Evil Principal: Hifumi Oshibu is the Headmaster of Daikoku Welfare Academy, and is willing to go to any lengths to punish those that don't conform to his policies.
- Magical Girl: Inverted in both gender and age, as Sanda is a 14-year old boy who transforms into a Badass Santa.
- Magic Pants: Zig-zagged. Initially only Sanda's underwear is able to stretch to still fit Santa, but once Santa gets a proper outfit consisting of a red hoodie and black track paints, said outfit appears whenever Sanda transforms as long as he has the red hoodie, regardless of what else he was wearing or has on hand beforehand.
- Numerical Theme Naming: It's a law in the setting that everyone have their month of birth in their name, to more easily distinguish who is younger than the other, even when sharing the same birth year.(Examples: Kazushige:一重, 一:1, January. Shiori: 四織 四:4, April)
- Older Than They Look: Oshibu is 92 years old and maintains a youthful appearance through plastic surgery. Subverted by his ultra-creepy smile and look.
- One Cast Member per Cover: With the only exception being multiple forms of the same character together, most prominently Sanda and Santa who pair up on two covers.
- Red Right Hand: Modern plastic surgery and other age defying procedures are remarkably effective at keeping people looking much younger than they actually are, but currently all are incapable of doing anything about hands, meaning extreme examples like Oshibu will still have noticeably discolored and wrinkled hands compared to the rest of their body.
- Royalties Heir: Santa Claus makes royalties for any products mentioning or depicting Santa Claus, meaning Sanda's family has some financial stability, although since few believe in Santa Claus in the present day, there isn't much wealth left for him to inherit.
- The Sleepless: All characters are this, as vaccinations and specialized diets eliminate the need for sleep, specifically in an effort to slow down aging in children because of the fact that children do a majority of their growth in their sleep.
- War Is Hell: The second half of the series involves Sanda gathering the other Descendants to form a self defense club which in turn leads to the Red Robe Unit initiating all out war against them, to the trauma and despair of them.