Osamu Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs may not be the series' protagonist, but he stole the show from the lead, Atsushi Nakajima. Dazai may seem cheerful and outgoing, but his past is quite dark, and his identity is still shrouded in mystery even though his backstory has been covered.
From the Port Mafia to the Armed Detective Agency, Dazai's too complex to label as either hero or villain. It's hard to understand what Dazai's thinking, so he may just be BSD's most complicated character. The second and third seasons delve into Dazai's past, but there are still many pieces of trivia that fans may not know about him.
Updated on June 22nd, 2023 by Maria Remizova: The most secretive character in Bungou Stray Dogs, Dazai Osamu continues to surprise fans with newfound abilities and enigmas from his past to this day. Yet, the more facts are known about the series’ perplexing deuteragonist, the less confusing his character becomes. This list was updated with even more interesting trivia about Bungou Stray Dogs’ fan-favorite hero.
This article mentions self-harm and suicide. Read at your own discretion.
20 Dazai’s No Longer Human Can Create An Ability Singularity
Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast is one of the most fascinating light novels in the franchise in terms of the information it provides about Dazai. Beast tells the story of an alternative world created within the Book in which characters from the Port Mafia and Armed Detective Agency switch places.
In the novel, Port Mafia Dazai uses his ability, No Longer Human, to create something he calls an Ability Singularity and steal the memories of his cannon-universe self. This unique power is yet to debut in the main story, but it might have interesting implications in the future.
19 Dazai, Oda, And Ango Were Friends In Real Life
The friendship between Dazai Osamu, Sakunosuke Oda, and Ango Sakaguchi depicted in The Dark Era plot was just as valuable and authentic for the characters’ historical counterparts. The trio belonged to the Decadent School literary movement, which focused on the themes of apathy and moral decay prevalent in post-World War II Japanese society.
The trio’s anime hangout spot, Bar Lupin, is also a real location found in Ginza. Real-life Dazai, Oda, and Ango used to frequent the bar to discuss literature and spend time together.
18 Dazai Is Just 22 Years Old
Despite his countless accomplishments and rich history, Dazai Osamu is only 22 years old, which still makes him one of the older members of the Armed Detective Agency. When Dazai left the Port Mafia, he was just an 18-year-old teenager.
While Dazai holds the title of the youngest executive in the history of the Port Mafia, his partner Chuuya was promoted before him. Yet, arguing that he is 51 days younger than Chuuya, Dazai took the title for himself after his following promotion. Dazai was born on June 19th.
17 Dazai Is A Capable And Nimble Fighter
While acting as the part of Soukoku with Nakahara Chuuya, Dazai was often referred to as the brains of their partnership. Intelligence might be his strongest suit, but no one should underestimate Dazai’s combat abilities. While not the top fighter in the Port Mafia or ADA, Dazai is still physically powerful and brilliant at utilizing his knowledge and environment to defeat enemies.
He was even able to stand up against Chuuya, the Port Mafia’s strongest member, in a fight. Dazai is also frighteningly dexterous, able to pick almost any lock and steal objects without being noticed.
16 Dazai Uses The Formal Gender-Neutral Pronoun
The pronoun that Dazai uses in reference to himself is watashi, which is also used by the traditional novel format the real-life Dazai Osamu specialized in. The more common masculine pronouns would be boku or ore, its more assertive and informal counterpart, while watashi is perceived as more feminine in a casual context.
The only instance in which Dazai uses the traditionally masculine pronoun boku is in the Fifteen Arc. As he grows more secretive and distant from his past, he settles for the most neutral and universal pronoun in the Japanese language – watashi.
15 Dazai's Ability Is Always Active
Dazai has one of the strongest abilities in the series. It is called No Longer Human and is named after the book by the character's namesake, Osamu Dazai. This extremely overpowered and useful ability allows him to nullify any ability by touching the person who is using it.
Although he can still be hurt utilizing poison or weapons, this makes Dazai impenetrable to foes. Also, since he only needs to touch an ability user to cancel out their use of it, it is always active
14 Dazai's Past With Fyodor Dostoyevsky Is A Reference To The Book "No Longer Human"
Fyodor Dostoyevsky first made his debut in the theatrical release Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple. The interactions between Dazai and Fyodor are linked to their past with one another. The author that Fyodor Dostoyevsky was named after wrote the book Crime and Punishment, and this is also Fydor's ability in Bungo Stray Dogs.
Within the book No Longer Human, the protagonist Oba recalled reading Crime and Punishment and was affected by the book. It was a pivotal point in his downward trajectory later on in his life.
13 Dazai Is Often Used For Comic Relief
This is one of the reasons why some fans do not know how to feel about Dazai. At the beginning of Bungo Stray Dogs, Dazai is flowing down a river and tells Atsushi he interrupted him from dying, as he was trying to drown. However, he truly does have suicidal tendencies, as shown in the tensest times in Bungo Stray Dogs.
He speaks about it with a smile, which is more problematic than humorous. However, as time progresses, this comic relief becomes more reasonable as we discover his past.
12 Dazai Was Designed To Contrast Atsushi
Kafka Asagiri, the author of Bungo Stray Dogs, went through many trials to model his characters on various real-life Japanese and foreign authors. The authors the characters in the series are based on are not only Japanese writers but Americans such as Margaret Mitchell, who wrote Gone With The Wind, or Russians such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, who wrote Crime and Punishment.
Unlike Atsushi, who wished to live no matter what it took but was too kind, Dazai was meant to be disliked for his attempts at suicide and humorous personality.
11 Dazai Made A Cameo In Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution
Osamu Dazai is not only a real-life world-famous author, but he is also popular in animation because of Bungo Stray Dogs. He became so popular that BONES, the studio that animated the original Eureka Seven: Psalms of Planets and Bungo Stray Dogs, decided to have some fun and add him to a scene.
There was a scene where a character was reading a book named "No Longer Human" with Dazai on the cover of the book. Two of the Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution films were released on September 16, 2017 and November 10, 2018.
10 Dazai's Type Is Any Woman Who Will Die Together With Him
Dazai has a complicated life, but an even more of complicated love life. While he speaks of self-harm as if it is the best thing in the world, he seems to have a knack for trying to find the right woman. One problem: He will take any woman who commits double suicide with him.
This is not only a trait for the fictional character, as the real Osamu Dazai attempted to commit double-suicide with his first wife, Hatsuyo, after discovering she committed adultery with his best friend, Zenshiro Kodate. Ultimately, he died drowning in the Tamagawa Canal with a different woman, Tomie Yamazaki.
9 Dazai Joined The Armed Detective Agency To Do Something Good
Before Oda died, he acknowledged that Dazai's loneliness would never cease. However, he encouraged Dazai to do something meaningful and help other people out. This is what prompted Dazai to defect from the Port Mafia and join the Armed Detective Agency.
Previously, Dazai admitted that he joined the Port Mafia in search of a reason to live. He reasoned that being around raw emotions like fear and anger while surrounded by violence would get him closer to the human condition, giving him a reason to live in the process.
8 Dazai Is Horrible At Driving
Most of the cases for the Armed Detective Agency are dangerous affairs, as they work with the police to stop various crimes. Sometimes, they get in trouble and have to run away from ability users or danger, but Dazai should in no way be the one driving.
As seen in an episode of Bungo Stray Dogs, Dazai usually leaves the driving to his partner, Doppo Kunikida. Even he mentioned that Dazai is too reckless when he drives.
7 Dazai Didn't Have A Will To Live As A Teenager, Either
There was an arc of Bungo Stray Dogs that was called The Dark Era. During this time, Dazai was a part of the Port Mafia and was 15 years old. Unlike the current time, Dazai used to be more cruel, cold, and truly wished to die.
He even willingly took shots without flinching. The only reason he did not fully take his life is that Ogai Mori, his doctor and the leader of the Port Mafia, invited him. Part of what contributed to his nihilism and disdain for humanity was when he witnessed Mori kill the previous boss and then fabricate his will so he'd take his place.
6 Dazai Was The Youngest Executive In The Port Mafia's History
During the Dark Era of Bungo Stray Dogs, fans discover Dazai's past in-depth. It turns out Dazai was the youngest executive in Port Mafia history at 15 years old. Dazai became pretty desensitized to violence during this time, and his behavior proved it.
He was shown to be cold and ruthless, as he killed a person and continued shooting him after he died. Although Dazai is now cheerful and speaks of dark things with a smile, he can sometimes show old tendencies to enemies he hates, old acquaintances, or Port Mafia members.
5 Dazai Was The Reason Chuuya Joined The Port Mafia
Before learning much about Dazai's past, fans knew that he and Chuuya, one of the most beloved characters from the Port Mafia, had history. In the third season, they learned that Dazai played a role in making Chuuya a member of the Port Mafia.
If he and Chuuya never interacted, then one of Dazai's greatest rivals would never have been in his life. It proved that it may have been best if he decided to leave the Port Mafia even sooner than he already did.
4 Aside From Chuuya, Dazai Also Dislikes Dogs
Dazai's likes and dislikes are pretty straightforward. He likes suicide, but not pain and suffering. He loves annoying Kunikida, but dislikes Chuuya. Interestingly, Dazai also dislikes dogs. This is another reference to the real-life author of the same name, who wrote a 17-page rant about how much he hates dogs.
There was also an instance in the manga where Dazai ate dog treats to induce a stomachache, forcing him to leave Atsushi alone on the train. Though it's unclear why Dazai hates dogs in the series, it led to hilarious moments.
3 Dazai Is A Playable Character In A Video Game
Fans of Bungo Stray Dogs are very familiar with the anime, manga, and light novels, seeing as how they are the three most popular adaptations of the series. However, many don't know about the mobile game, Bungo Stray Dogs: Tales of the Lost.
In it, players can control many characters in the series, with Dazai and Atsushi being the first two that are playable in the mobile gacha game. Tales of the Lost, developed by ambition, is an entertaining puzzle game. It's available on the Google Play Store and App Store.
2 Dazai's Enemies Knew Him More Than His Friends Did
The reason why Dazai was such a mysterious character in the beginning of the series is that he kept his past as an executive of the Port Mafia a secret from the Agency. They were shocked to learn the truth when they finally found out.
Even though Dazai cared more about his friends in the Agency than his former comrades from the Port Mafia, they didn't know him nearly as much as characters like Chuya and Oda did.
1 Dazai Is A Great Teacher
Though he can be quite humorous and has a dark past, Dazai is also a great teacher. He's helped Atsushi become the hero he is by being a mentor for him.
Dazai has also helped other characters, including people from the Port Mafia, become stronger, and if it weren't for his teaching skills, neither the Agency nor the Port Mafia would have become as powerful as they are.