The Origin of Bungo Stray Dogs

Bungo Stray Dogs

Bungo Stray Dogs (文豪ストレイドッグス) is a Japanese manga and anime series that blends supernatural action with deep literary references. Created by “Kafka Asagiri” (writer) and “Sango Harukawa” (illustrator), the series began as a manga, which was serialized in “Young Ace” magazine starting in 2012. The anime adaptation, produced by “Bones Studio”, premiered in April 2016.

The inspiration behind “Bungo Stray Dogs” lies in the author Asagiri’s desire to create a story involving famous literary figures with supernatural abilities. Each character in the series is named after a well-known author or poet from Japan or the West. The special abilities in the characters are also based on the works of these authors.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Plot, Summary, Key Characters and Their Literary Inspirations

The series revolves around Atsushi Nakajima, a young orphan who gets kicked out of his orphanage. Struggling to survive, he encounters a man named Osamu Dazai, who is attempting to drown himself. Dazai reveals that he works for the Armed Detective Agency, a special organization that handles supernatural cases that the police or military cannot solve. Atsushi joins the agency, and this is when the story starts to unfold with Atsushi discovering his special ability. The primary antagonist for much of the series is the Port Mafia, a powerful and dangerous group. Next let’s get familiar with the “Bungo Stray Dogs” characters, ability and real life inspirations behind the characters!

Atsushi Nakajima

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Ability: Beast Beneath the Moonlight

Atsushi can transform into a white tiger with immense strength and regenerative powers. This ability comes from his insecurity and fear of being worthless, as symbolized by his control over a wild, dangerous form.

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He is the main protagonist of “Bungo Stray Dogs” named after Atsushi Nakajima, a Japanese author most known for his short story “Sangetsuki” (“The Moon over the Mountain”), about a man who transforms into a tiger, paralleling the anime character’s ability.

Osamu Dazai

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Ability: No Longer Human

Dazai’s power can break others’ abilities simply by touching them.

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This character was named after Osamu Dazai who was a celebrated Japanese author in his time, famous for works like “No Longer Human”, which explores themes of depression and alienation. His real-life struggles with suicide are reflected in the anime Dazai’s frequent suicide attempts.

Doppo Kunikida

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Ability: The Matchless Poet

Kunikida can materialize any object as long as he writes it down in his notebook, provided that it’s no larger than the notebook itself. His power reflects his strong sense of order and ideals.

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Based on the poet and writer “Doppo Kunikida”, who is known for his idealism and deep appreciation of nature, his meticulous character and rigid principles align with his portrayal in the anime.

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Ability: Rashōmon

Akutagawa can manipulate his black cloak into a variety of destructive forms, making it a powerful offensive weapon. He is a member of the Port Mafia.

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He is named after “Ryūnosuke Akutagawa”, a prolific Japanese writer known for works such as “Rashōmon” and “In a Grove”. His stories often dealt with dark, moral ambiguity, reflected in the anime character’s cold and brutal demeanor.

Chūya Nakahara

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Ability: For the Tainted Sorrow

Chūya controls gravity, able to manipulate it to crush enemies or increase his own mobility. His ability becomes especially dangerous when he unleashes its full potential, risking his life in the process.

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He is named after the real Chūya Nakahara, a Japanese poet known for his romanticism and tragic early death. His poems often explored sorrow and loss, themes mirrored in his anime counterpart’s aggressive, yet sometimes melancholic nature.

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Even though in the Manga and Anime both Chūya and Dazai seemed close, the real Osamu Dazai and Chūya Nakahara did not get along with each other.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Ability: Crime and Punishment

Fyodor is the enigmatic leader of the Rats in the House of the Dead and possesses an ability that allows him to kill with a mere touch.

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Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of Russia’s most renowned authors, famous for works like “Crime and Punishment” and “The Brothers Karamazov”. The themes of guilt, morality, and existential dread in his works are reflected in the anime character’s Machiavellian manipulation of others.

Akiko Yosano

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Ability: Thou Shalt Not Die

Yosano has the ability to heal any injury, but only if the person is on the verge of death. She is the agency’s doctor, and though her ability is incredibly valuable, it is often used in a somewhat brutal way.

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Named after the poet “Akiko Yosano”, who was a pioneering feminist and pacifist in Japan. Her poems, such as “Thou Shalt Not Die”, reflect a deep sensitivity to life and loss, values mirrored in her anime counterpart’s attitude toward healing and war.

Rampo Edogawa

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Ability: Super Deduction

Though Rampo claims to have an ability, his “Super Deduction” is actually just his sheer brilliance as a detective. His intellect alone allows him to solve almost any case.

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“Rampo Edogawa” is a famous Japanese mystery writer, known as the “Father” of Japanese detective fiction. His works were heavily influenced by Western detective stories, especially those by “Edgar Allan Poe” (his pen name “Rampo Edogawa” is a homage to Poe).

Yukichi Fukuzawa

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Ability: All Men Are Equal

Fukuzawa can manipulate the abilities of those under his leadership, stabilizing and controlling them. He is the president of the Armed Detective Agency, known for his calm and authoritative demeanor.

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“Yukichi Fukuzawa” was an intellectual and author in Japan, responsible for founding modern education systems. His contributions to Japanese society are mirrored in the anime, where Fukuzawa acts as a leader and mentor.

The Port Mafia

Aside from the ”Armed Detective Agency”, the ”Port Mafia” plays a central role in the series, with many of its members also being inspired by literary figures.

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Ogai Mori: The head of the Port Mafia is based on Mori Ogai, a Japanese novelist and physician.

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Kouyou Ozaki: She is inspired by Ozaki Kouyou, a Japanese writer of the Meiji era.

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Kyusaku Yumeno (Q): Q’s sadistic tendencies reflect the chaotic nature of their namesake, Yumeno Kyusaku, a Japanese avant-garde writer.

In the Anime Dazai and Chūya also were part of the Port Mafia at the age of 15. Later Dazai joined the Armed Detective Agency while Chūya still serves in the Port Mafia till now.

Conclusion

“Bungo Stray Dogs” is more than just a supernatural action series. The things that separates this story from others and makes it more unique is that this story include many literature figures and shares their famous works in a interesting way which is not only overwhelms the audiences who has interest in literature but also grabs the attention of audience’s who never included themselves in literature.

For me which makes ”Bungo Stray Dogs” more fascinating is that it shared the stories of famous figures and their works from different countries and different era/generations and the way they lived their lives, these international historic information which was basically played the role of knowledge in academic sector and may have been difficult to serve them because of national and international gaps but this story not only merged the gaps but also made the knowledge more fun and exciting . The fans of this Anime series search through various surveys and articles about these characters and lets the knowledge unfold.  Fans of literature will appreciate the nods to famous works and the way the anime brings these legendary authors to life in a world filled with intrigue and danger.