List of Bungo Stray Dogs characters

Creation and design

The characters of Bungo Stray Dogs were created by Kefka Asagiri and designed by Sango Harukawa. Asagiri noted that in the making of the story, the characters he created were instead developed first rather than their conflicts. While Atsushi and Dazai were design to balance each others resulting in changes to their original versions, they believe Chuya Nakahara was one of their favorite characters when designing him. The manga originated from Asagiri's idea to gather multiple famous late artists and draw them as adults with supernatural powers.

Armed Detective Agency

Atsushi Nakajima

Atsushi Nakajima (中島 敦, Nakajima Atsushi)

Voiced by: Yūto Uemura, Lynn (young) (Japanese); Max Mittelman (English)

Named after Atsushi Nakajima. In the story, he is 18 years old, and used to live at an orphanage before the caretakers threw him out. Their words condemning him as "worthless" have since left trauma on him, and drives his will to fight in order to find a reason to live, slowly gaining confidence as the series progresses. His ability is named Beast Beneath the Moonlight (月下獣, Gekkajū), which allows him to turn into a large white tiger with incredible strength, speed, regenerative capabilities and durability, although he has no control and retains no memory if he fully transforms. Later, he learns to change his limbs to that of a tiger to enhance his physical abilities. Despite his lack of confidence, he has a pure and good heart and fights hard to protect others.

Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai (太宰 治, Dazai Osamu)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Kaiji Tang (English)

Named after Osamu Dazai. A member of the Armed Detective Agency who takes Atsushi under his wing and is known for being a "suicide maniac" due to his wish to commit suicide and die comfortably one day, preferably with a beautiful woman. Under his carefree and relaxed demeanor though, Dazai is extremely cunning, intelligent, skilled and brutal, once being a feared executive of Port Mafia. His ability, No Longer Human (人間失格, Ningen Shikkaku), let him completely nullify any supernatural ability by touch.

Doppo Kunikida

Doppo Kunikida (国木田 独歩, Kunikida Doppo)

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)

Named after Doppo Kunikida. Dazai's partner, known for his meticulous planning, organisation and perfectionistic tendencies. He has a habit of writing and planning everything ahead in his signature notebook, with the front cover labelled "Ideals". This notebook is linked to his ability, Lone Poet (独歩吟客, Doppo Ginkaku), which allows him to bring into existence any object he writes inside, as long as it isn't larger than the notebook itself.

Ranpo Edogawa

Ranpo Edogawa (江戸川 乱歩, Edogawa Ranpo)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese); Vic Mignogna (seasons 1-2), Landon McDonald (season 3; Dead Apple) (English)

Named after Edogawa Ranpo. The only Agency member without an ability and a self-proclaimed detective. While he is 26-years-old, and one of the oldest in the office, he lacks basic everyday skills, preferring to focus his intelligence on solving cases instead. His prodigious observational and deduction skills are nicknamed Super Deduction (超推理, Chō suiri) by him, which is supposedly activated when he puts on his glasses.

Junichirō Tanizaki

Junichirō Tanizaki (谷崎 潤一郎, Tanizaki Jun'ichirō)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Toyonaga (Japanese); Spike Spencer (English)

Named after Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. An assistant at the Agency mainly focused on gathering information, as his ability, Light Snow (細雪, Sasameyuki), allows him to project illusions within a certain area, which is not extremely suited for combat. He cohabits with his younger sister Naomi and treasures her dearly, despite finding some of her antics annoying.

Kenji Miyazawa

Kenji Miyazawa (宮沢 賢治, Miyazawa Kenji)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Kagura (Japanese); Lucien Dodge (English)

Named after Kenji Miyazawa. A 14-year-old optimistic and carefree boy hailing from the countryside, he is extremely popular with Yokohama residents due to his honesty and cheerful attitude. This makes him the Agency's primary data collector from an eyewitness. His ability is called Undefeated by the Rain (雨ニモマケズ, Ame ni mo Makezu), which grants him superhuman strength when he's hungry.

Akiko Yosano

Akiko Yosano (与謝野 晶子, Yosano Akiko)

Voiced by: Yū Shimamura (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)

Named after Yosano Akiko. She is the medic of the Agency feared for her torturous treatments. While her ability Thou Shalt Not Die (君死にたもうこと勿れ, Kimi Shinitamou koto nakare) allows her to heal any wound, it has a prerequisite for the patient to be on the verge of death, which results in her often injuring her patients thoroughly before healing them.

Yukichi Fukuzawa

Yukichi Fukuzawa (福沢 諭吉, Fukuzawa Yukichi)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Jamieson Price (English)

Named after Fukuzawa Yukichi. He is the President of the Armed Detective Agency, as well as Kunikida's mentor. His ability is All Men Are Created Equal (人上人不造, Hito no Ue ni Hito wo Tsukurazu), which allows him to control the abilities of his subordinates. This ability is especially useful for those who lack control over their abilities like Atsushi and Kyōka.

Kyōka Izumi

Kyōka Izumi (泉 鏡花, Izumi Kyōka)

Voiced by: Sumire Morohoshi (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)

Named after Kyōka Izumi. A 14-year-old orphan girl who was taken in by the Port Mafia and became their youngest assassin. Her ability, Demon Snow (夜叉白雪, Yasha Shirayuki), materializes Demon Snow, a ruthless sword-wielding phantom that only follows orders coming from her mobile phone, which allows Akutagawa to initially control her ability. Her parents used to be assassins as well until an enemy attempted to use a body manipulation ability on them. Kyōka's mother, who at that time owned Demon Snow, killed her husband and subsequently herself as she was gradually succumbing to the ability, her last words ordering the phantom to protect her daughter and passing on this ability. However, this technique of doing so was incomplete, which resulted in Demon Snow only listening to orders from the phone.

Kirako Haruno

Kirako Haruno (春野 綺羅子, Haruno Kirako)

Voiced by: Mina (Japanese); Abby Trott (English)

A clerk working at the Armed Detective Agency.

Naomi Tanizaki

Naomi Tanizaki (谷崎 ナオミ, Tanizaki Naomi)

Voiced by: Chiaki Omigawa (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)

Junichirō's sister who has a brother complex and frequently likes to tease him. Although she can be tiresome to her brother at times, she is a capable young woman.

Katai Tayama

Katai Tayama (田山 花袋, Tayama Katai)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura

Named after Katai Tayama. He is an information broker for the Agency.

Port Mafia

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (芥川 龍之介, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke)

Voiced by: Kenshō Ono (Japanese); Brian Beacock (English)

Named after Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. A member of Port Mafia. His ability is called Rashomon (羅生門), a coat that turns into a black beast, which can tear everything apart, even space. While short-tempered, the mention of Dazai finding his subordinates at the Agency more capable than him angers him greatly.

Chūya Nakahara

Chūya Nakahara (中原 中也, Nakahara Chūya)

Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama (Japanese); Nicolas Roye (English)

Named after Chūya Nakahara, he is an Executive Member of the Port Mafia and Dazai's former partner. His ability is called For the Tainted Sorrow (汚れつちまつた悲しみに, Yogoretsu Chimatsuta Kanashimi ni), which allows him to manipulate the gravity vector and strength of objects with which he is in physical contact. He's rather short and dislikes being reminded of it, especially by Dazai. He was very happy when he was told Dazai had left the Port Mafia and opened an 89' wine bottle.

Ichiyo Higuchi

Ichiyo Higuchi (樋口 一葉, Higuchi Ichiyō)

Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)

Named after Ichiyo Higuchi, she is a member of the Port Mafia and a subordinate of Akutagawa, who she admires. She lacks an ability but compensates it with her fighting skills.

Motojirō Kajī

Motojirō Kajī (梶井 基次郎, Kajī Motojirō)

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (Japanese); Brian Palermo (English)

Named after Motojirō Kajii. A member of Port Mafia who is an infamous bomber even in the discreet mafia. His ability is Lemon Bomb (檸檬爆弾, Remonēdo), which prevents him from being harmed by lemon-shaped bombs he makes himself.

Ryuurou Hirotsu

Ryuurou Hirotsu (広津 柳浪, Hirotsu Ryurou)

Voiced by: Atsushi Ono (Japanese); Greg Chun (English)

Named after Ryuurou Hirotsu. A sharply dressed man, he is a commander of Black Lizard, the mafia's squad of hitmen. His Ability, 'Falling Camellia', sends objects flying with a powerful force. He's diligent in his work and dislikes unprofessional behavior.

Michizō Tachihara

Michizō Tachihara (立原 道造, Tachihara Michizou)

Voiced by: Yū Hayashi (Japanese); Ben Diskin (English)

Named after Michizō Tachihara. A short-tempered commander of Black Lizard.

Gin Akutagawa

Gin Akutagawa (芥川 銀)

Voiced by: Shiina Natsukawa (Japanese); Allegra Clark (English)

A very quiet commander of the Black Lizard group. While assumed male, Dazai revealed she's actually Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's sister. She can be just as short tempered as her brother.

Ougai Mori

Ougai Mori (森 鴎外, Mori Ōgai)

Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

Named after Mori Ōgai. The leader of Port Mafia. Despite being a mafia boss, he acts like a gentleman, being polite to allies and enemies alike. As a former doctor, he's more than capable of using his knowledge to hurt others. His Ability, 'Vita Sexualis' (ヰタ・セクスアリス, Uita sekusuarisu), allows him to configure Elise's actions and mood; enabling her to act as a distraction or to protect him with superhuman feats such as flight or extreme speed.

Elise

Elise (エリス, Erisu)

Voiced by: Sora Amamiya (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)

Named after the character in The Dancing Girl. A young girl under the care of Ougai Mori. While her actual relationship with Mori is unclear, she considers the mafia as a whole to be her family.

Kouyou Ozaki

Kouyou Ozaki (尾崎 紅葉, Ozaki Kōyō)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Cindy Robinson (English)

Named after Ozaki Kōyō. She is a Port Mafia executive and has the ability, 'Golden Demon' (金色夜叉, Konjakiyasha), capable of conjuring a sword-wielding spirit like Kyouka and commanding it at will. She cares deeply for Kyōka and wants her to have the happiness that she never got.

Sakunosuke Oda

Sakunosuke Oda (織田 作之助, Oda Sakunosuke)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese); David Vincent (English)

Named after Sakunosuke Oda. A low-ranking member of Port Mafia and a friend of Dazai and Ango. His ability, Flawless (天衣無縫, Ten'imuhō) allows Oda to predict the future for 5-6 seconds. His name is often shortened as 'Odasaku'. He wanted to eventually retire from the mafia and be a writer, but the terrorist André Gide killed the orphans under his care. This made him lead a one-man assault against Gide and killed him at the cost of his own life. His death is what motivated Dazai to leave the mafia.

Kyūsaku Yumeno

Kyūsaku Yumeno (夢野 久作, Yumeno Kyūsaku)

Voiced by: Haruka Kudō (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)

Named after Yumeno Kyūsaku, and also known as "Q". His ability Dogra Magra (ドグラ・マグラ, Dogura Magura) is a mind control curse. If someone has harmed him, either intentionally or unintentionally, they will fall under the curse when Yumeno splits open the doll he always carries with him. The curse itself makes people see illusions that turn them hostile, usually forcing them to attack friends and foes recklessly. After an incident where he used his curse on members of the Port Mafia, he was considered too dangerous and imprisoned.

The Guild

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (フランシス・スコット・キー・フィッツジェラルド, Furanshisu Sukotto Kī Fittsujerarudo)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese); Chris Hackney (English)

Named after F. Scott Fitzgerald, he is the Leader of the "Fellowship of The Guild". His ability is called 'The Great Fitzgerald' (based on the real-life Fitzgerald's work The Great Gatsby), which grants him an increase in strength based on how much money he spends in any way, shape or form. Simply throwing currency off a balcony can trigger his power. While his initial goal was originally believed to be to obtain the permit that allows the Armed Detective Agency to operate, it is later revealed that Fitzgerald was searching for a way to bring his dead daughter back to life. After the Guild falls, he has nothing as he has used all his assets to fight Atsushi and Akutagawa. He becomes a beggar for a time until meeting up with Louisa who helps him regain his confidence and together they decide to rebuild a new Guild and his empire.

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery (ルーシー・モード・モンゴメリ, Rūshī Mōdo Mongomeri)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English)

Named after Lucy Maud Montgomery. A member of The Guild and Fitzgerald's subordinate. An orphan who suffered trauma from her caretakers like Atsushi, although she never recovered the way he did. This resulted in Lucy developing a psychotic personality, while also developing a dependency on the guild as she believes no one else is willing to accept her. Her ability is 'Anne of Abyssal Red' which allows her to create an alternate reality known as "Anne's Room", in which people are imprisoned if they get caught by Anne the Monster while playing tag. When the Guild collapses, she manages to get a position in the cafe below the agency, where she works as a waitress and errand girl. She gets along with Atsushi but always bickers with Kyōka.

Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell (マーガレット・ミッチェル, Māgaretto Mitcheru)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)

Named after Margaret Mitchell. A member of the Guild, partnered with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Margaret's temperament can only be described as arrogant, prone to looking down on anyone around her be they friend or foe. Her ability is called "Gone with the Wind", which allows her to literally weather any object caught in the wind. It is unknown whether there are any restrictions to what this ability can affect. She is visually portrayed as an American Southern belle.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne (ナサニエル・ホーソーン, Nasanieru Hōsōn)

Voiced by: Tarusuke Shingaki (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

Named after Nathaniel Hawthorne. A member of the guild, and partner to Margaret Mitchell. A man of God who always carries a Bible with him, Nathaniel believes that it is his duty to punish the sinners of this world. As a result, he often comes off as arrogant when he "judges" people and is prone to getting into quarrels with Margaret. Nathaniel's ability is called The Scarlet Letter, which allows him to convert his own blood into holy words and control them. They can be fired like bullets, or built up as a shield to deflect the enemy's attack.

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck (ジョン・スタインベック, Jon Sutainbekku)

Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi (Japanese); Kyle McCarley (English)

Named after John Steinbeck. A member of the Guild, and partner to H.P. Lovecraft. Steinbeck is a relaxed and easygoing farmboy who comes from a large family of farmers from North America. He joined the Guild in an effort to support them financially. Despite Steinbeck's relaxed personality, he can be very cold to his enemies such as when he calmly tormented the captured Q. Steinbeck's ability is called The Grapes of Wrath, which allows him to sprout grapevines from his neck which he can graft to other plants. Any plant with a grafted grape branch can be freely controlled by Steinbeck as if it was part of his own body. He actually despises Fitzgerald, seeing his view on people and money as disgusting and cruel. After the Guild collapses, he becomes the leader of the Guild remnants. When he hears that Fitzgerald plans to rebuild his empire he decides to crush Fitzgerald's ambition.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (ハワード・フィリップス・ラヴクラフト, Hawādo Firippusu Ravukurafuto)

Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese); Mick Wingert (English)

Named after H. P. Lovecraft. A member of the guild and partner to John Steinbeck. A bizarre man in his late twenties, Lovecraft is prone to be distracted by the most unusual things such as wood grains. While it's never outright stated in the series, Lovecraft hints that his ability, "The Great Old Ones", is not an actual ability as Dazai was unable to nullify it. When fully activated, The Great Old Ones turns Lovecraft into a powerful tentacle monster that can only be damaged from the inside of his body. After the defeat of Fitzgerald, Lovecraft claims his contract has become null, so he bizarrely walks into the ocean, claiming that he's going to sleep.

Mark Twain

Mark Twain (マーク・トウェイン, Māku Tōein)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese); Phillip Reich (English)

Named after Mark Twain. A member of the guild and his ability is "Huckleberry Finn & Tom Sawyer", an ability that takes the forms of the dolls known as Huck Finn (ハック・フィン)(voiced by Risae Matsuda) and Tom Sawyer (トム・ソーヤ)(voiced by Satsumi Matsuda). He serves as sniper and thanks to Huck and Tom his aim is excellent.

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott (ルイーザ・メイ・オルコット, Ruīza Mei Orukotto)

Voiced by: Hikaru Ueda (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)

Named after Louisa May Alcott. A member of The Guild whose ability is named "Little Women", which allows her slow time down when she is thinking in a private room. Her shy demeanor makes her work as a strategist. She had never used her ability for herself and is completely devoted to Fitzgerald.

Herman Melville

Herman Melville (ハーマン・メルビル, Hāman Merubiru)

Voiced by: Takayuki Sugō (Japanese); John DeMita (English)

Named after Herman Melville. An elder member of The Guild whose ability is "Moby-Dick", which takes the form of a gigantic white whale-themed airship. Herman used to be the Guild leader in the past.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (エドガー・アラン・ポオ, Edogā Aran Pō)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

Named after Edgar Allan Poe. A member of The Guild with the ability "Black Cat in the Rue Morgue". Poe can transport readers into the setting of any novel that they are currently reading. He also has a pet raccoon named Karl. He views Ranpo as a rival.

Other characters

Ango Sakaguchi

Ango Sakaguchi (坂口安吾, Sakaguchi Ango)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Michael Yurchak (English)

Named after Ango Sakaguchi. A government worker whose ability is "Discourse on Decadence". Ango once worked as Port Mafia's Intelligence Agent, but it was under the Government's orders to spy the mafia's activities. During his time working as an intelligence agent under for the Port Mafia, he also became an agent for Mimic under Mori Ougai's orders.

André Gide

André Gide (アンドレ・ジッド, Andore Jiddo)

Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese); Kirk Thornton (English)

Named after André Gide. He was the leader of a criminal organization from Europe known as Mimic. Like Sakunosuke, his ability, "Strait is the Gate", allows him to see a few seconds into the future. A former soldier betrayed by his country, he wanted to have a glorious death and killed Oda's loved ones to drive him to despair. After a lengthy duel, they mutually killed each other.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (フョードル・ドストエフスキー, Fuyōdoru Dosutoefusukī)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Ray Chase (English)

Named after Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is the head of the Rats in the House of the Dead. His ability is "Crime and Punishment".

Aya Kōda

Aya Kōda (幸田 文, Kōda Aya)

Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki

Named after Aya Kōda.

Shōsaku Katsura

Shōsaku Katsura (桂正作, Katsura Shōsaku)

Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Named after the main character of Doppo Kunikida's work "An Uncommon Common Man."

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (アガサ・クリスティ, Agasa Kurisuti)

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto

Named after Agatha Christie.

Mizuki Tsujimura

Mizuki Tsujimura (辻村 深月, Tsujimura Mizuki)

Voiced by: Rie Takahashi

Named after Mizuki Tsujimura.

Tatsuhiko Shibusawa

Tatsuhiko Shibusawa (澁澤 龍彦, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai

Named after Tatsuhiko Shibusawa. An original character created for the movie Dead Apple.

Arthur Rimbaud

Arthur Rimbaud (アーサー・ランボー)

Voiced by: Yūya Uchida

Named after Arthur Rimbaud. He was an executive of Port Mafia with an extreme aversion to cold, under the alias Randou who was later revealed to be a European spy, who was trying to find a god-like entity, Arahabaki from within a military facility, with his partner, Paul Verlaine. Following Paul's betrayal, he was forced to try and use Arahabaki to fight the military, but the failed attempt resulted in a massive explosion that destroyed the facility and Rimbaud's memories. His alias was taken from an incorrect pronunciation of his name that was written on his hat. He is later killed by Dazai and Chuuya after his memories returned and he once again tried to capture Arahabaki's vessel; Chuuya. His ability, "Illuminations", allows him to create a hyperspace under his control to the point which he can event disregard the rules of physics, rendering Chuuya's powers useless and even withstanding Dazai's nullification to a limited degree.

Reception

The characters of Bungo Stray Dogs have been popular in Japan with Crunchyroll noting that most of them appeared in a Newtype poll when the anime premiered in 2016. Manga.Tokyo enjoyed Osamu Dazai due to his appealing interactions with Doppo Kunikida while also enjoying Mamoru Miyano's performance as his voice actor. Atsushi's characterization has earned mixed responses The Fandom Post noted that his power of becoming a tiger gave him potential to make goods rather than the curse he fears. On the other hand, Reel Run Down considered Atsushi as one of the weakest characters due to his constant insecure thoughts despite having multiple achievements in the storyline. As a result, the reviewer found his abusive background became more of a stale running joke than a terrifying experience. Otaku USA noted that while Atsushi becomes a hero during the story, he is overshadowed by others character he found more interesting. Nevertheless, Atsushi's and Akutagawa's rivalry has also resulted into positive reaction due to how each character balance the other in terms of personality and how they become allies for a short for one of the most entertaining fights in the series. Anime News Network still enjoyed the new bond he formed with former Guild member Lucy Maud Montgomery; the reviewer noted Lucy became attracted to him and thus expected a form romance or love triangle would be composed between these two characters as well as Kyoka as this character also formed a strong bond with Atsushi. Concluding this comment, the reviewer expected this would happen the story would be benefitted from this type of subplot since Bungo Stray Dogs barely handled romance.