Bungou Stray Dogs is an action, mystery, supernatural anime published by Bones Studio and created by Kafka Asagiri as the writer and Sango Harukawa as the illustrator that has been published since 2012. This manga then got its anime adaptation, which has aired for 3 seasons.

This anime follows Atsushi Nakajima, who gets kicked out of an orphanage before he encounters Dazai Osamu who’s trying to kill himself. Their journey begins as they join a detective agency with their unique abilities. On this occasion, Dunia Games would like to give you a list of 15 fascinating facts about Bungou Stray Dogs that you probably didn’t know.

1. The Characters’ Names in Bungou Stray Dogs are Inspired by Real Authors’ Names

Not just the main characters, but the supporting and even antagonist characters in this series are mostly inspired by real authors from different periods. Atsushi Nakajima is also the name of a Japanese author known for his work "Tiger Poet", whereas Dazai Osamu is the name of a renowned fiction writer in Japan in the 20th century, Doppo Kunikida was a Japanese novelist and poet during the Meiji era, and there are many more characters whose names are inspired by real Japanese authors.

2. Atsushi Nakajima Had an Adoptive Father

If he had an adoptive father, why did Atsushi live in an orphanage? It’s because Atsushi’s adoptive father is the director of the orphanage. However, his adoptive father had abused him physically and mentally, becoming the reason for Atsushi’s nightmares. They had a complicated relationship, but at least Atsushi has Dazai who can be a fatherly figure for him.

3. Dazai Always Has His Ability Active

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Dazai possesses one of the most powerful abilities, called "No Longer Human", which is named after the widely-known book written by an author who’s also the inspiration for this character. This ability allows Dazai to nullify others’ abilities on contact. Since his ability only requires skin contact with another person, Dazai’s ability is always active and doesn’t need to be triggered.

4. Ranpo Edogawa Has No Supernatural Power

Throughout the entire series of Bungou Stray Dogs, you’ll learn that Ranpo often refuses to admit that he has no supernatural power. The reason why he doesn’t want to acknowledge that fact is that the "Armed Detective Agency" has put so much faith in him. 

Ranpo’s natural brilliance is more than enough to help him solve various mysteries, puzzles, and even the most complicated cases in just seconds with little info. His ingenuity is often referred to as "Super Deduction", which is arguably at the same level as other supernatural abilities.

5. Character Designs Were Done Before Deciding the Plot

Unlike most mangaka, the writer, Kafka Asagiri, and the illustrator, Sango Harukawa, started Bungou Stray Dogs by creating the character designs. From looking at each character design, Asagiri took the inspiration to write the backstory of each character and produce a richer plot. 

6. Akutagawa Hates Taking Baths

Both antagonists and protagonists in this series have their likes and dislikes. As for Akutagawa Ryunosuke, it’s been mentioned that he hates taking baths. Although it’s for unknown reasons, fans may theorize that it’s associated with his power, which allows him to transform into monsters using his clothing. So, perhaps this is why he hates taking baths since it means that he has to take off his outfit and become powerless.

7. Kunikida Is a Naive Individual

Despite him looking like a serious individual who follows his dreams, Doppo Kunikida can sometimes be naive, especially when he’s with Dazai. For example, he writes everything he believes to be true about a case in his notebook. But sometimes, Dazai lies about something and tells Kunikida to write it down. It’s rather uncharacteristic and reckless of Kunikida, who’s supposed to be a professional, diligent, and serious individual.

8. Atsushi Was Supposed to be 24 Years Old

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Atsushi is 18 years old. But Kafka Asagiri initially planned to make Atsushi a 24-year-old young man. In an interview, Asagiri revealed his early plans for the plot and character in Bungou Stray Dogs. He then ditched the idea as Atsushi and Dazai would be closer in age.

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9. Dazai Was Designed as the Complete Opposite of Atsushi

Kafka Asagiri claimed that he went through a lot of trials to create the characters in Bungou Stray Dogs based on various Japanese and foreign authors. Dazai was designed as the complete opposite of Atsushi, who has a positive view of life. Whereas Dazai always attempts suicide and has a more humorous personality. Therefore, Harukawa as the illustrator draws Dazai with bandages wrapped around most of his body given his suicidal tendencies.

10. The Real Friendship Between Dazai, Sakaguchi, and Oda

Three characters in Bungou Stray Dogs: Sakunosuke Oda, Osamu Dazai, and Ango Sakaguchi are the depictions of the real Japanese authors who were colleagues, members of the Buraiha (Decadent School) literature movement, and good friends. This movement consisted of writers who focused on the Japanese identity crisis post World War II in their writings. This is also depicted in the series where Dazai, Oda, and Sakaguchi often visit Bar Lupin to chat and spend time together.

11. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is the Depiction of Jay Gatsby from "The Great Gatsby"

Just like many other characters in the series, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was also named after a famous author from the US. In the anime, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald has the ability called "The Great Fitzgerald", which allows him to gain more power based on the money he spent. 

The anime also shows how he can’t manage to win the battle against Atsushi and Akutagawa no matter how much money he spends. This ability is actually based on one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels "The Great Gatsby", which was published in 1925. At the end of the story of The Great Gatsby, no matter how much money Jay Gatsby has, he cannot win the heart of the woman he loves.

12. Dazai and Fyodor’s Past Inspired the Writing of "No Longer Human"

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was first introduced in Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple. There’s a moment where we can see an interaction between Dazai and Fyodor, who share an interconnected past. Fyodor is based on a Russian author of the same name and possesses an ability called "Crime and Punishment", which is also the title of a book the author wrote in real life. Dazai and Fyodor’s past was the inspiration for the writing of the book "No Longer Human". In that book, the protagonist Oba reads "Crime and Punishment" which influences him.

13. Ranpo Wasn’t Born in Yokohama

Although we often see Ranpo traveling around Yokohama in Bungou Stray Dogs, he actually wasn’t born in that town. Ranpo actually grew up in a remote village until both of his parents died. After that, he moved to Yokohama on the advice of his late father. 

This has been confirmed when Atsushi first met Ranpo to solve a mysterious murder case. Funnily enough, Ranpo didn’t know how to follow street signs, meaning that he would be lost without the help of a guide. This shows that he wasn’t born in Yokohama. Since he grew up in a rural village, it’s easy for him to get lost in a big city.

14. Akutagawa is an Orphan

Akutagawa and Atsushi were created by Asagiri as similar characters with different fates. Atsushi grew up in an orphanage, where he endured abuse from his adoptive father/the director of the orphanage. Whereas Akutagawa and his sister grew up as orphans in the slum of Yokohama. Dazai met Akutagawa during the "Dark Era", while Atsushi met Akutagawa after he fixed himself and joined the "Armed Detective Agency".

15. Kunikida Previously Worked Part-time as a Match Teacher

Doppo Kunikida’s strict and disciplined character derives from his past as a math teacher. This was brought up for the first time during the early episodes of Bungou Stray Dogs where Dazai mentions that Kunikida used to be a math teacher, which also explains why Kunikika is so strict in certain things. Before he joined the "Armed Detective Agency" as a detective, he worked part-time as a math teacher at a school.

16. Season 4 Bungou Stray Dogs Has Been Announced

After the final episode of Season 3 aired on 28 June 2019, in November 2021, the official Twitter account for this anime announced Season 4 of the Bungou Stray Dogs series. The anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, has also confirmed this and announced that the new season will be available on the platform when it airs in Japan. 

The exact release date for Season 4 is yet to be announced, yet lots of fans predict that Bungou Stray Dogs Season 4 will air in 2022. After all, news of a fourth season is good news for any fan of this series.

So, those were the 15 fascinating facts from the anime series Bungou Stray Dogs that you probably didn’t know. Stick around for more anime and gaming info, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

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