Bungo Stray Dogs is a modern anime with a compelling basis, taking classic literary authors and having them interact with the added aspect of unique Abilities. For example, we have Osamu Dazai, a famous Japanese 20th-century author, acting as a detective and solving crimes; Bram Stoker, author of the infamous horror classic Dracula, starting a vampire apocalypse; and Fyodor Dostoevsky, most known for his novel Crime and Punishment, as the main villain with a skill for playing the cello. The show’s charm lies in the absurdity of combining real people with supernatural powers while simultaneously providing a cohesive plot that fans love.
As of now, Bungo Stray Dogs features five seasons in total, with a potential sixth in the works for release. In the show’s absence, fans are theorizing just where the story will lead (if you’re an anime-only fan, checking out the manga might give you those answers), and the fates of beloved characters. Instead of talking about what’s to come, this list will be discussing the biggest draw of the anime— the characters. Specifically, we’ll be taking a closer look at the 10 most powerful Abilities included in Bungo Stray Dogs, and why they’ve been selected as a grade above the rest.
1) For The Tainted Sorrow
If you’re a fan of either the anime or manga, this inclusion is no surprise. Chuuya Nakahara is easily one of the strongest Ability users in the entire show. His Ability, For The Tainted Sorrow, allows Chuuya to manipulate gravity through touch. Specifically, Chuuya is able to increase or decrease the gravity of an item or person, influence the speed or weight of his own body, and throw items like projectiles at enemies. He’s easily the best unit for defensive and offensive tactics, which is probably why he’s kept out of so many fights to prevent them from being ended in seconds.
What gives Chuuya an additional edge is the fact that his Ability has a secret, hidden form that he can unlock by reciting a trigger phrase. Corruption is the ultimate form of For the Tainted Sorrow, an Ability that turns Chuuya into a walking weapon and could level cities if allowed. In this state, Chuuya is able to launch masses of gravity and create black holes; however, Corruption is tied to Chuuya’s connection to the entity residing in his body, Arahabaki. While Corruption is able to total most anything in his path, Chuuya is not fully in control while using it and will rage until his body gives out unless nullified, limiting his usage, especially once Dazai leaves the Mafia.
2) Dogra Magra
Kyusaku Yumeno, nicknamed Q, is a character about whom very little is known in Bungo Stray Dogs. They’re a member of the Port Mafia but are sealed away due to the danger they pose because of their Ability, Dogra Magra. The Ability is viewed as extremely dangerous because of its nature— Dogra Magra is a mind control power that activates when Q is harmed. To ensure their Ability is constantly viable, Q tapes razor blades to their own arms in order to force others to harm them.
Dogra Magra isn’t just mind control, but specifically designed to increase agitated and violent behavior in those that fall under its spell. Individuals will brutally attack anyone in their path, causing outright chaos and bloodshed, which cannot be stopped by any method besides nullification. While the Ability needs a trigger and can be avoided, the scale of destruction it causes and the factor of mind control make it a very strong power to possess.
3) Beast Beneath the Moonlight
Atsushi Nakajima is the protagonist of Bungo Stray Dogs, starting the series as an orphan nearly starving on the streets, and chased by a massive, white, man-eating tiger. He learns the tiger is actually his Ability, Beast Beneath the Moonlight. With it, Atsushi transforms into a white tiger and gains enhanced speed, strength, senses, and durability.
The tiger also causes Atsushi to have insanely fast regeneration, both when he’s transformed and in his regular state. As he gets a better handle on the Ability, Atsushi learns to partially transform parts of his body instead of fully becoming the tiger. His claws are able to tear through others’ Abilities, seen multiple times when Atsushi faces Rashomon in battle. While it has not been fully confirmed by the anime, Fitzgerald hints that Atsushi’s Ability makes him the guide to the Book (an artifact that can alter reality).
4) Crime and Punishment
Originally, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Ability was concealed from the audience during his initial appearances in the anime. Cloaked in mystery, all that was known about his Ability was its name, Crime and Punishment. Initially, the show implies that Fyodor can kill others with a single touch. It was later revealed, this was a ruse created by Fyodor to hide the true nature of his Ability and aid in his plotting so that the Armed Detective Agency couldn’t stop him.
The true nature of Crime and Punishment is that Fyodor’s able to take over the body of whoever murders him. His murder is the “Crime”, and the “Punishment” is Fyodor taking the body and erasing all characteristics of the original personality, replacing them with himself both mentally and physically. Essentially, this makes Fyodor immortal against any attacks on his person because he will reincarnate as the person who landed the final blow, such as with Bram Stoker. While not incredibly good for offense, this is probably the biggest deus ex machina Ability in the entire show.
5) Rashomon
Ryunosuke Akutagawa possesses one of the most versatile Abilities in all of Bungo Stray Dogs. Rashomon, his Ability, is essentially the power to manipulate the fabric of his clothing. While that may sound bland, Rashomon quite literally can be turned into a series of useful items such as blades, a shield, armor, and restraints. Furthermore, the Ability can eat space, which allows Akutagawa to swallow bullets and other attacks, acting as a great method for defense.
Throughout the anime, we see Akutagawa manipulating his Ability in a variety of ways during battle to get the advantage. Not only is Rashomon capable of protection and direct attacks, but the fibers can launch Akutagawa in the air, increase his speed or range of movement, act as a tool to shape terrain, and even hold his injuries together, similar to a cast. Though Akutagawa most often produces Rashomon from his iconic black coat, it can be pulled from any clothing he is wearing, giving him access to his Ability unless he is completely unclothed.
6) Draculea
The addition of Bram Stoker to the show changed the tone and overall direction of the plot. Bram is used as a living weapon by the Decay of Angels for his Ability, Draculea. As you can imagine, given his basis, the Ability transforms individuals into vampires. Any person that Bram bites will turn into a vampire, and the infection will spread from those that have turned, creating a widespread pandemic of his Ability.
Bram was also able to control the different vampires connected to him through his Ability, though this control is wrested from him when Fukuchi merges Bram with the Holy Sword Soluz Levni. A hidden aspect of this power is that Bram can send his own consciousness into the vampires he’s turned, effectively keeping him alive longer if his main body is dying. This Ability was so strong that world governments referred to it as one of the “Ten Calamities to Destroy the World”.
7) Mirror Lion
As villains go, Ochi Fukuchi shines in the Bungo Stray Dogs roster. A war veteran who used to mow down enemies, he turned to acts of crime to prevent a future war from occurring and creating more victims like himself. Fukuchi’s power and prowess in combat are enhanced by his Ability, Mirror Lion— this power allows Fukuchi to increase the power of anything he’s holding by a hundredfold.
The Ability itself is more useful than strong, but Fukuchi wields it with precision that makes the Ability far more formidable. For example, Fukuchi’s use of Mirror Lion enhances the space-time sword Shinto Amenogozen so it goes beyond its limitations. Essentially, weapons and artifacts will grow immensely stronger in his grasp, making Fukuchi extremely difficult to beat in a fight due to his already comprehensive grasp on battle tactics.
8) Thou Shalt Not Die
Healing abilities tend not to be treated seriously in most anime; however, Akiko Yosano’s Ability, Thou Shalt Not Die, is easily a hidden ace in the show and has saved multiple characters more than once. At its core, the Ability allows Yosano to heal any individual as long as they’re at the brink of death, bringing them back to a state of perfect health. The only exception to this is Dazai due to his nullification powers.
Her powers meant that Yosano was used in the Great War as a child to constantly heal and send soldiers back onto the field, memories she greatly detests due to the trauma they caused her. Now in the Armed Detective Agency, Yosano primarily acts as the group’s doctor and can also actively heal during combat, ensuring the team can keep fighting. Yosano’s Ability can be used on multiple people at once, as long as, again, they’re half-dead already. The strength of Thou Shalt Not Die makes her a key player of the Agency, and an Ability User that Ogai Mori hopes to steal away to the Port Mafia.
9) Draconia
Draconia is the Ability of Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, introduced during the “Dead Apple Arc”. The Ability is complex in nature— with Draconia, Shibusawa can release a mist named “Dragon’s Breath” that is able to separate Abilities from their users in a select area. These separated Abilities are then turned into physical manifestations that will attack their user; if the user does not prevail in the fight, Shibusawa gains the Ability in Draconia’s manifested collection room.
It’s also implied that Draconia is the reason Shibusawa survives his initial death at the hands of Atsushi in the orphanage. His Ability managed to use its collection of Shibusawa to reanimate him as a memory, not a living human being, giving him a half-living facade that could interact with the world around it. This Ability was able to temporarily entrap the majority of powerful Ability users in Yokohama, showing its range and strength compared to others in the show.
10) No Longer Human
Osamu Dazai is a mastermind capable of manipulating most plots to his side’s favor. A large part of this is reliance on his Ability, No Longer Human. In short, Dazai is able to nullify the Abilities of others with a single touch. The Ability doesn’t need to be activated by Dazai and is instead constantly active on his skin, meaning it will end any Ability that comes into contact with him.
No Longer Human is often treated as a solution to many difficult cases of dealing with strong Ability users. Dazai is the sole person who can end Corruption when Chuuya uses it; he is simultaneously the only one who is able to end Q’s mind control by touching Q’s cursed doll. The only things No Longer Human are ineffective against are non-abilities, such as Lovecraft’s eldritch form. While its premise is simple, Dazai can avoid falling to most Abilities and can actively free others from Ability attacks through his touch.
Are you a fan of Bungo Stray Dogs? Tell us who your favorite Ability User is in the comments.
The post 10 Most Powerful Bungo Stray Dogs Abilities appeared first on ComicBook.com.