Bungo Stray Dogs facts for kids
Bungo Stray Dogs, also known as B-S-D, is a popular Japanese manga series. It was created by Kafka Asagiri (writer) and Sango Harukawa (artist). The story started in a magazine called Young Ace in 2012.
Imagine a world where famous authors from history are reborn as characters with amazing superpowers! In Bungo Stray Dogs, each character has a special ability named after a book written by a real author. The story is about a group of these super-powered individuals who work for the Armed Detective Agency. They protect the city of Yokohama from dangerous groups, like the Port Mafia.
The main character is a young man named Atsushi Nakajima. He has the power to turn into a powerful white tiger! Atsushi joins the Agency and works with other gifted people to solve mysteries and go on exciting missions.
Many books, called light novels, have been published for the series. An exciting anime TV show, made by Bones, started airing in 2016. It has had five seasons, with the latest one airing from July to September 2023. There's also an anime movie called Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple, which came out in March 2018.
A fun spin-off anime series, Bungo Stray Dogs Wan!, aired in early 2021. Fans also got to see a live-action movie, Bungo Stray Dogs The Movie: Beast, which was released in Japan in January 2022.
Exploring the World of Bungo Stray Dogs
The Start of Atsushi's Adventure
The story begins with Atsushi Nakajima, a young man who has nowhere to go. One day, he helps a strange detective named Osamu Dazai. Atsushi soon discovers he has a secret superpower: he can turn into a giant white tiger under the moonlight! This amazing ability is why he was alone.
Dazai invites Atsushi to join the Armed Detective Agency. This special group solves mysteries and handles cases that are too tricky for regular police. Atsushi meets many other people with unique powers there. Together, they protect the city of Yokohama. Atsushi quickly finds himself facing off against Ryūnosuke Akutagawa from the Port Mafia, a powerful group of skilled individuals. Atsushi also helps a young person named Kyoka Izumi to leave the Port Mafia and join the Agency.
Facing New Challenges
As Atsushi continues his work, he encounters Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald leads a group called List of Bungo Stray Dogs characters#The Guild. He is after a special item known as "The Book," which can change reality. Fitzgerald believes Atsushi's tiger power is connected to this book. He even uses a giant airship, "Moby Dick," which causes a lot of trouble in Yokohama. Atsushi and Akutagawa team up to stop Fitzgerald. Kyoka also plays a big part in stopping the airship, showing her bravery.
The Mystery of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Later, a mysterious man named Fyodor Dostoyevsky appears. He wants "The Book" to get rid of all people with special abilities. Fyodor causes a big conflict between the Detective Agency and the Port Mafia. A wise person named Natsume Soseki helps to end the fighting. Dazai, with Fitzgerald's help, manages to capture Fyodor. But Fyodor is very clever and seems to have planned his own capture to trick everyone.
The Decay of the Angel and New Threats
Fyodor's group, The Decay of the Angel, finds pages from "The Book." They use these pages to falsely accuse the Detective Agency of a serious crime. Dazai is put in prison, and the government sends a special military force, the List of Bungo Stray Dogs characters#Hunting Dogs, after the Agency members.
To survive, the Agency forms alliances with Fitzgerald and even the Port Mafia. They discover that someone even more powerful is behind Fyodor. Ranpo Edogawa, a super-smart detective, works to clear the Agency's name. He figures out that the true leader of the Decay of the Angel is Ōchi Fukuchi, the head of the Hunting Dogs.
The Decay of the Angel then starts a plan to turn people into vampires and take control of the world. The Agency fights hard to prove their innocence and stop the vampires. A brave young girl named Aya Koda helps to stop the vampire leader, Bram. Fukuchi is eventually defeated, but his actions cause more trouble. The story continues with many twists and turns as the heroes try to save everyone.
How Bungo Stray Dogs Was Created
The creator, Kafka Asagiri, got the idea for Bungo Stray Dogs after leaving his old job. He became popular online with a video he made. Soon after, he was asked to create new stories.
Asagiri wanted to imagine famous authors and poets from history as young people with superpowers. He was inspired by a story from Shūsaku Endō. For example, he made Osamu Dazai a main character after reading his book No Longer Human. Asagiri found Dazai's feelings in the book very relatable.
After Dazai, Atsushi Nakajima became the main hero. Asagiri then created Kunikida to be Dazai's equal. He found writing new stories exciting and often finished backgrounds in just a few days. The publisher, Kadokawa Shoten, asked him to write more, leading to the light novels that explore characters' pasts.
Ideas Behind the Story
Asagiri came up with "The Book," a magical item that everyone wants. Its power to grant wishes was inspired by the wish-granting items in Dragon Ball. A big theme in the story is characters overcoming their challenges. For example, Kyoka, who was once a skilled individual for the Port Mafia, tries to start a new life with the Detective Agency.
Even the villains in the story have reasons for their actions. Francis Scott Fitzgerald, from the Guild, wanted to protect his family. Sigma, another character, was written to be relatable because he feels like an "average" person among powerful ones. Ranpo was a challenge to write because he is so smart, but his role became very important.
As the series grew, Asagiri thought about the battle between good and bad. He wanted readers to think about which side they would choose.
Bringing Characters to Life
Sango Harukawa's character designs helped Asagiri create the stories. Atsushi and Dazai's designs were made to show how different they are. The light novels were planned to be released often. The friendships of real authors like Osamu Dazai, Ango Sakaguchi, and Sakunosuke Oda also inspired Asagiri.
In 2023, Asagiri was very happy with all the different works based on his manga. He hopes to see even more in the future!
Bungo Stray Dogs in Media
Manga Series
The Bungo Stray Dogs manga is written by Kafka Asagiri and drawn by Sango Harukawa. It started in Young Ace magazine on December 4, 2012. The chapters are collected into special books called tankōbon volumes. The first volume came out on April 4, 2013. As of February 4, 2025, twenty-six volumes have been released.
Yen Press publishes the series in North America. The first English volume was released on December 20, 2016. As of August 2024, twenty-four volumes are available in English.
- Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast: This spin-off manga, drawn by Shiwasu Hoshikawa, started in December 2019. It tells an alternate story where Ryūnosuke Akutagawa joins the Detective Agency, and Atsushi Nakajima is part of the Port Mafia.
- Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chūya, Jūgosai: This manga explores the past of Dazai and Chūya when they were fifteen. It began in July 2022.
- Bungo Stray Dogs: Storm Bringer: A manga based on the light novel Storm Bringer started in January 2025.
Anime Television Series
An anime TV show was made by Bones. Takuya Igarashi directed it, and Yōji Enokido wrote the scripts. Taku Iwasaki created the music.
The anime was released in two parts in 2016. The first part aired from April to June, and the second part from October to December. Crunchyroll streams the series for fans to watch.
- Season 3: A third season was announced in July 2018 and aired from April to June 2019.
- Bungo Stray Dogs Wan!: A spin-off anime series based on the manga Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! aired from January to March 2021.
- Season 4: A fourth season was announced in November 2021 and aired from January to March 2023.
- Season 5: A fifth season was announced in March 2023 and aired from July to September 2023.
The anime is available in North America through Crunchyroll and in the United Kingdom by Anime Limited.
Movies
- Anime Film: An anime movie called Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple was announced in February 2017. It premiered on March 3, 2018.
- Live-Action Film: A live-action movie, Bungo Stray Dogs The Movie: Beast, was released in Japan on January 7, 2022.
Video Games
- Bungo Stray Dogs Mayoi Inu Kaikitan: This action role-playing game is available on iOS and Android phones. It includes new stories and scenarios not seen in the anime. Players use pinball-like moves to defeat enemies and collect items to power up characters.
- Gakuen Bungo Stray Dogs: A second game has also been announced.
Stage Plays
The story of Bungo Stray Dogs has also been brought to life on stage!
- The first stage play, based on the anime's first season, was performed in December 2017 in Yokohama and other major Japanese cities.
- A second stage play, based on the light novel Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era, was performed in September and October 2018.
- A third stage play, covering the rest of the second season, was performed from June to July 2019.
Light Novels
Many light novels have been released for Bungo Stray Dogs. These books tell character-specific stories that add more to the series. They often introduce new characters.
There are currently ten light novels in total, with eight of them translated into English.
