Literary references are found all throughout Bungou Stray Dogs by Kafka Asagiri. Many of the characters are named after famous authors. Their abilities are also named after famous books written by those authors while they were still alive. These characters' personalities and backstories are exaggerations of the authors and their legendary works.

RELATED: 10 Best Anime Fights Of 2022, Ranked

Since the fourth season recently aired, anime-only fans can look forward to meeting even more characters inspired by famous authors. Though reading these books isn't really necessary to better understand certain characters, they're still worth reading and may provide fans with a deeper appreciation for their favorites.

10 Japanese Gothic Tales By Izumi Kyoka

Kyōka Izumi from Bungo Stray Dogs.

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Kyoka is a former member of the Port Mafia. The organization basically used her as a killing machine because of her ability, Demon Snow. She regretted her actions and joined the Armed Detective Agency.

Japanese Gothic Tales is a collection of four stories by Izumi Kyoka. Kyoka's work is known for its bizarre, hard-hitting narratives because they combine horror with meaningful social criticism. These are four horror stories, but they're not scary or reliant on shock-and-awe to send a chill down the readers' spines.

9 The Overcoat By Nikolai Gogol

Nikolai Gogol from Bungou Stray Dogs.

Anime-only fans of Bungou Stray Dogs will finally meet Nikolai Gogol in the series' fourth season. Nikolai is a member of the Decay Of The Angel, a terrorist group that seeks to annihilate Japan. Nikolai is quite sadistic but covers up his sinister intentions with utmost flashiness and showmanship.

His ability is named after The Overcoat, a short story by Nikolai Gogol. The Overcoat follows a government employee who never receives praise for his work and seems fairly unassuming. Despite having a very low salary, he saved up for a new overcoat. Unfortunately, someone stole the overcoat from him. It's a fairly simple premise, but the story's overarching theme of class warfare is inescapable.

8 Be Not Defeated By The Rain By Kenji Miyazawa

Kenji Miyazawa Sleeping After Eating (Bungou Stray Dogs).

In Bungou Stray Dogs, fans know Kenji Miyazawa as a guy with an eccentric but endearing personality who came from the countryside. His ability, Undefeated by the Rain, gives Kenji superhuman strength when he's running on an empty stomach.

RELATED: 10 Most Devastating Incidents In Shonen Anime & Manga

Undefeated by the Rain refers to Kenji Miyazawa's poem, "Be Not Defeated By The Rain." "Be Not Defeated By The Rain" is a poem written solely in katakana, with very few hiragana. Many think he did so to make his poetry more accessible to those living in rural Japan. The poem describes someone who overcomes adversity and doesn't care if someone praises or ridicules them, but isn't bothered by it.

7 Selected Stories of Doppo Kunikida By Doppo Kunikida

Doppo Kunikida uses his notebook in Bungou Stray Dogs.

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Doppo Kunikida is a member of the Armed Detective Agency. Never seen without his beloved journal, Kunikida is highly organized and plans out every bit of his day down to the millisecond. He may seem prickly and constantly annoyed, but Kunikida never strays from his moral compass and takes his job with the Agency very seriously.

He's named after the famous Japanese author. The author Doppo Kunikida wrote everything from short stories to poetry. Though it's hard to find some of his published works, Five Stories By Doppo Kunikida is a compilation of a few of his greatest.

6 Crime & Punishment By Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor from Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the greatest villains in Bungou Stray Dogs. Always one step ahead of his opponents, Fyodor's eerily calm disposition and overall mystique make him a menacing figure in the series. His ability, Crime and Punishment, is seemingly able to kill people with a single touch.

Crime and Punishment is also a novel by Fyodor's namesake, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Fyodor Dostoevsky is a Russian novelist whose work is famous for commentary on psychology and politics. Crime and Punishment tells the story of Rodion Raskolnikov, a former student from St. Petersburg who killed an old woman, but turned himself in and went to jail. Plagued by his past, Rodion realizes suffering is the only way to atone.

5 Japanese Tales Of Mystery & Imagination By Ranpo Edogawa

Ranpo Edogawa tipping his hat in Bungou Stray Dogs.

In Bungou Stray Dogs, Ranpo Edogawa considers himself the world's greatest detective. Despite not having a special ability like the rest of the Agency, Ranpo's unmatched deductive reasoning allows him to solve any case in virtually no time at all. Despite his brilliant mind, Ranpo's pretty childish and loves slacking off while eating junk food.

RELATED: 10 Best Anime To Watch This Winter

He's named after an author who used the pen name Ranpo Edogawa. He mainly wrote mystery and thriller novels, so naming the best detective in the series after him is perfectly fitting. Edogawa's written several brilliant works, but Japanese Tales Of Mystery & Imagination is the perfect starting place for new readers.

Akutagawa's Rashoumon in Bungou Stray Dogs.

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa is one of Bungou Stray Dogs' most complicated characters. Though he's undeniably a villain, he's helped the heroes several times. Primarily driven by rage and misanthropy, Akutagawa is the Port Mafia's "dog" because of his brutal tactics.

Akutagawa is named after the famous Japanese author Ryuunosuke Akutagawa. He's considered the "father of Japanese short stories" and even has a prize named after him. He believed that literature should be a tool to bring Western and Japanese cultures closer together. Akutagawa wrote over 100 stories, but new readers should start with Rashomon & Other Stories.

3 The Moon Over The Mountain By Atsushi Nakajima

Atsushi Nakajima At The Detective Agency In Bungo Stray Dogs

Atsushi is the protagonist of Bungou Stray Dogs. He started out as a timid guy with no self-esteem because of his traumatic upbringing in the orphanage. After owning up to his tiger ability, Beast Beneath The Moonlight, Atsushi gained more self-confidence by joining the Agency and using his power to save others.

Atsushi Nakajima is a Japanese author. The Moon Over The Mountain is one of his most famous works. The Moon Over The Mountain is a collection of Atsushi Nakajima's short stories and is praised for its introspective themes.

2 Poems Of Nakahara Chuuya By Chuuya Nakahara

Chuuya from Bungou Stray Dogs.

Chuuya Nakahara is one of the Port Mafia's Twelve Executives. He's the strongest fighter in the Port Mafia, and he's always ready for the next fight to show off his skills. He's prideful, hotheaded, and can be pretty cruel during a fight. Prickly as Chuuya may seem, he's pretty easy to get along with when no one's intentionally getting on his nerves.

Chuuya's Ability, Upon The Tainted Sorrow, allows him to control gravity. It's also the name of a poem by the author Chuuya Nakahara. The best way to read Chuuya Nakahara's work is to pick up a copy of "Poems Of Nakahara Chuuya," which includes plenty of his best poems.

1 No Longer Human By Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs.

Perhaps the most direct reference to literature in Bungou Stray Dogs is Osamu Dazai's entire character. Inspired by the legendary author, Dazai's quite an enigma. Outwardly cheerful and carefree, Dazai's haunted by his dark past, and there are still several unknowns about him. Despite his childish antics, Dazai often muses about suicide, and the first season was wrought with his various attempts.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai is, arguably, his most popular novel. Many parallels between Dazai and the book's protagonist are apparent from the first page. The protagonist talks about how he feels ostracized by society but masks his pain by making others laugh. He describes himself as a failure. The book doesn't have a happy ending, either.

NEXT: 20 Anime With Satisfyingly Sad Endings