Which Chiikawa Anime Episode Covers the Body Swap? A Guide to the Manga Parallels

Conclusion: The Body Swap Clues Are in Episodes 22, 25, 27, 208, and 211

The Chiikawa body swap is not depicted in a single episode from beginning to end. To follow the clues in the anime, media information points to the witch in episode 22, Momonga's first appearance in episode 25, episode 27's "Give it back," and the slot machines in episodes 208 and 211. If you had to pick one episode that shows "the relationship between Momonga and Dekatsuyo," episode 27's "Give it back" is the most direct.

In order: according to media information, the witch hints at the swap in episode 22, and Momonga first appears in episode 25. In the following episode 27, Dekatsuyo chases Momonga demanding its return, and Momonga refuses and flees. This corresponds to the pursuit scene in "Momonga's Days" in volume 1 of the manga.

Much later, media information lists episodes 208 and 211 as slot machine-related. The arcade and the slot machines involve a separate body swap incident and are not episodes that explain Momonga and Dekatsuyo's past from scratch. If you avoid forcing the witch's hint, the first appearance, "Give it back," and the slot machines into a single episode, and instead follow them as five episodes with different roles, you won't get confused.

Dekatsuyo's Flashback: The Previous Form and Wish Revealed

In Dekatsuyo's flashback, the desire to live in a big, strong body, the current large frame with horns and tusks, and the former small form all appear side by side within the same post. While Dekatsuyo believed that becoming stronger would mean no more hardship, after the change we also see it stealing food and expressions showing things not going its way. Even if its appearance came closer to its wish, the scenes can't be read as its life simply improving.

Combined with the posts of the pursuit of Momonga, we can connect the dots as far as Dekatsuyo demanding a return and reflecting on the change of form. However, neither of those two posts specifies "what" should be returned or "by what method." The bitterness lies in how the wished-for appearance and the remaining inconveniences are placed side by side.

The Wish on a Shooting Star, and a Pursuit That Continues Years Later

In a solitary nighttime scene, Dekatsuyo lies in the grass under a tree and sheds a single tear. Noticing a light in the sky, it says it's a shooting star, and after watching another streak of light, mutters wondering whether its wish will come true. Since no companion or conversation partner is depicted, the shooting star panel alone doesn't reveal the content of the wish. The pairing of the large body and the quiet tears leaves a loneliness entirely different from the pursuit scenes.

In the waterside pursuit posted in July 2024, Dekatsuyo approaches Momonga as it broods in the grass, and after a moment where their hands seem to touch, bares its tusks and attacks. Even when Momonga flees to the water, the pursuit continues, ending with Dekatsuyo wrapping it up in its arms. The outcome of that embrace is not depicted, and only the chase-and-flee tension that began with volume 1's "Give it back" reappears, relocated from the grass to the water.

Momonga's Early Depictions Begin with Observing "Cuteness"

In volume 1's "Pochette," Momonga—with its round ears and blue-gray tail—dashes out from the depths of a dark passageway in front of Chiikawa, who is waiting for Hachiware. After bounding over so forcefully that Chiikawa drops a candy, Momonga intently studies Chiikawa's expressions and gestures and tries to act cute itself. Even after the two leave, it keeps trying out new expressions. It's a strange first meeting, with cuteness being studied right before its eyes.

In "Give it back," it demands that the Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) at the labor reception desk scold it. Even when told that Yoroi-san can't get angry since it did nothing wrong, Momonga gazes with teary eyes, and when briefly scolded, runs off wailing loudly. In volume 2's "Mucha Days," it also can't open a hard lump with its teeth or hands and rolls on the ground seeking comfort. Chiikawa even ends up shedding tears in response to the unexplained fake crying.

The lump already has an opening, and when Chiikawa widens the hole and hands over the contents, Momonga instantly stops crying and delights in the sweetness. Observing expressions in the passageway, seeking scolding at the reception desk, demanding comfort in front of the hard lump—so while the exaggerated gestures are similar, the purposes are different. A noisy yet vivid little tale in which the crying switches in an instant to a table of shared food.

The Slot Machines in Episodes 208 and 211 Are a Separate Body Swap Incident

Per media information, episodes 208 and 211 are slot machine-related. In the Slot Machine Arc from volume 5 of the manga, a creature with a white body and long tail appears at the arcade holding a tool with a red tip. Momonga, Usagi, Hachiware, and Chiikawa watch as it moves in time with the machine's sounds. This unfamiliar stranger expresses its feelings through possessions and rhythm rather than words.

What the Slot Machine Arc shows is a different change of form occurring at the arcade and the flow of trying to return to normal. It is not an episode that recreates the moment Momonga and Dekatsuyo swapped in the past or the specific method. Although episode 27's "Give it back" and episodes 208 and 211 often appear together in swap-related searches, they play different roles: clues about the relationship versus the slot machine incident.

Episode numbers come from media information; determining the cause is fan speculation among Japanese fans on X

The numbers—episodes 22, 25, 27, 208, and 211—are attributed not to an official chart of all anime episodes but to media information that organizes episode numbers. That's why this article explicitly says "episode X, per media information." The anime numbers aren't written in the original manga posts; on the manga side, cross-referencing is done by chapter names and scenes.

The view that Momonga and Dekatsuyo swapped bodies is widely held among Japanese fans on X, but the manga never depicts the specific moment or procedure of the exchange. The clues—the witch's hint, "Give it back," and the former small form—and the theories explaining the cause of the swap need to be read separately.

Nor can it be definitively stated that the slot machine caused Momonga and Dekatsuyo's past. Treat episodes 208 and 211 as covering a separate slot machine incident, and for an entry point into the two characters' relationship, it's clearest to return to episodes 25 and 27.

Distinguish Momonga's Actions by Publication Order in the Manga

In the manga's order, volume 1 contains the first appearance in the passageway, the gag about wanting to be scolded at the labor reception desk, "Momonga's Days" where it flees from Dekatsuyo, and Dekatsuyo's flashback. Volume 2 then depicts the story of crying over being unable to open a hard lump, and "Infinite White Rice Spring," where it tries to monopolize the white rice pouring from a rice cooker in the forest. Momonga's attention-grabbing actions extend beyond the single word "swap" into multiple short episodes about food and seeking attention.

In the rice episode's opening, Momonga finds a rice cooker buried in the bushes, tastes the steaming rice, and tries to keep it all to itself. But Usagi, watching from behind a tree, approaches, grabs a handful of rice, and carries it off. A nimble back-and-forth where Usagi acts faster than Momonga's plan. This food episode belongs to a different chapter than Dekatsuyo's "Give it back," so it's important not to treat them as connected stories just because both share the impression of "retrieving / not handing over."

Volume 5 moves on to the Slot Machine Arc, and posts published in 2024 again depict the pursuit between Momonga and Dekatsuyo. When matching the anime with the manga, look beyond volume numbers at the backdrops—the bushed path, the labor reception desk, the hard lump, the rice cooker, the arcade, the waterside—to distinguish the scenes. Rather than the conspicuous crying face, watching the locations and props is the reliable shortcut.

Momonga's Obsession with How It's Seen Continues in Volumes 6 and 7

In volume 6's "Withered," Yoroi-san (Armor Knight) urges Momonga—its fur puffed out wide—to face forward and checks its condition. While Momonga wants to show a cute expression, Yoroi-san places a hand on its head and brings out scissors. Whether the fur will be cut or the tangles tidied is left unresolved; only the interests collide head-on—Yoroi-san wanting to fix the appearance versus Momonga wanting to look cute.

In volume 7's "Ano-ko Dekatsuyo," when a small one among a gathering of large gray creatures starts crying, Momonga appears, demanding it be made to imitate the crying, and then demands food. Even when the large one sighs "you again," it doesn't flinch. When the small one hops away, the large one nods, and Momonga closes its eyes and smiles. The curiosity that observed Chiikawa's expressions in volume 1 here expands into an audacity trying to absorb even others' ways of crying—a scene remarkable for its nerve and strange afterglow.