Summary
Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Bungo Stray Dogs, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Osamu Dazai is one of the most mesmerizing figures at the center ofBungo Stray Dogs, as fascinating and complex as the author upon whom he is based. While most of the cast is gifted with powers, he is “anti-gifted,” with his power “No Longer Human” nullifying any ability through physical contact, which sounds like the be-all-end-all until one considers the downsides.
The name of this ability derives from the 1948 novel of the same name, which wasDazai’s most famous work and a semi-autobiographical story, published posthumously after his suicide. The story chronicled the life of Oba Yozo as he struggled to fit into society, battling his inner demons whilst putting on a facade of normalcy in his everyday life.Bungo’s portrayal of Dazai presents audiences with a facade similar to the one Yozo wears, albeit with his suicidal tendencies put front and center as a macabre joke to illustrate his eccentricities. With so many of the abilities in the series representing the personalities and inner truth of each character, No Longer Human feels eerily fitting. It takes the mystery at Dazai’s core and weaponizes it to nullify the other characters' powers.
WhoCan’tDazai Nullify?
Dazai often speaks of his ability as an absolute one, but there have been notable instances in which his power has been ineffective.The most obvious one is Edogawa Ranpo, but that feels like cheating considering that the whole point of Ranpo’s introductory episode is to demonstrate that he isn’t Gifted; just incredibly smart. It wouldn’t be until Season 2 that No Longer Human would truly be tested.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a weird guy, both in real life and especially inBungo’s second season, where he faced off against Dazai and Chuuya. His “ability,” Great Old One, turns him into an eldritch creature with regenerative abilities and immunity to mental manipulation by other powers. Frighteningly, when Dazai touched him, Lovecraft’s eldritch form didn’t turn off.
Because No Longer Human is treated as absolute, this information is immediately taken to mean that Lovecraft’s power does not fall under the classification of an “ability.” Lovecraft remains one of the great mysteries of the story, and while he’s not yet returned since the end of Season 2, perhaps he’ll show up in a future arc, though it’s unlikely his mystery would be solved.Lovecraftian horror is all about the unknown after all.
There is actually one other notable ability that Dazai cannot stop, though it has not yet been adapted within the anime.Bungo Stray Dogs Gaidenis a side story where, unlike in the main story, all the main characters are based on authors who are still alive. In particular, the main character, Yukito Ayatsuji, might be familiar to anime fans, as he’s the author behind 2009’sAnother, the horror story that became an anime by P.A. Works in 2012.
His ability is naturally named “Another” and causes the accidental death of a target, on the condition that they are a criminal and that they’ve actually committed the crime themselves. The catch is that Ayatsuji has no control over the ability and cannot stop it once it has been set in motion, meaning that were Dazai to touch him, it would do nothing. Of all the abilities Dazai can’t nullify, this is definitely one of the more frightening ones.
A Compromising Ability
Most characters inBungo Stray Dogstake quite a lot of punishment, but the threat is oftenalleviated by the presence of Akiko Yosano, whose ability, Thou Shalt Not Die, can treat anyone who is near death. “Anyone,” meaning “anyone except Dazai,” of course. This might actually explain why there aren’t many scenes between Dazai and Yosano; it’s not like he needs to take many trips to the clinic and a man as attracted to death as he likely wouldn’t want to either.
This problem presents itself strongly in Season 3 during the Cannibalism incident. Dazai gets shot, but with his nullification ability always active, he has to get operated on at a different hospital than the one the rest of the Agency meets up in. While this vulnerability is never spelled out to the viewer, once it’s noticed, it becomes clear how much the rest of the Agency takes Yosano’s healing for granted.
As explained in the novel55 Minutes, thereisactually a way for Yosano to - just barely - save Dazai from dying, but it requires him to be on the brink of death. If the healing ability can be applied within a half-second window of opportunity between life and death, Dazai can be saved. As one might imagine, this is very much a last resort and if he can be taken to a hospital, that’s the standard procedure instead.
From the outside, No Longer Human seems like one of the most useful abilities, especially in a story where most characters have a superpower of their own. While yes, it can be very handy, Dazai is no less vulnerable to anything that isn’t a special ability. These limitations reveal just how well-balanced a character like Dazai is in this story.
He can certainly throw a punch, but he’s far less combat-focused than his peers.His greatest weapon is his intellectand often works in the background to assist the more front-facing members of his team. But if he can get close enough, one touch is all he needs to even the playing field, and it’s why despite/because of the limitations, he’s one of the most addictive characters to watch inBungo Stray Dogs.
