Bungou Stray Dogs



A 2012 Seinen manga.

Nakajima Atsushi is an orphan who has been cast out of his orphanage. At the verge of starvation, he ends up saving a man from a suicide attempt. That man, Osamu Dazai, works in a detective agency, of a special kind who resolve cases that normal cops can't resolve, often involving people with super powers called "abilities". After discovering Atsushi is his most recent target, and managing to subdue his out-of-control ability with his own Power Nullifier ability, Osamu decides to "adopt" him, that is, employ him as a detective.

Written by Kafka Asagiri. Art by Harukawa35. Published on Kadokawa Shouten's Young Ace.


 * Badass Normal: At Chapter 6, it is revealed Ranpo has no powers at all, he's just very smart.
 * Driven to Suicide: Played For Laughs. Osamu is constantly attempting suicide, and failing at it.
 * Healing Factor: In Chapter 4, it's revealed Atsushi's ability allows him to regenerate his body parts.
 * Healing Hands: Akiko's power, "Thou Shalt No Die", allows her to heal people, but only if they are critically injured.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: In chapter 2, Atsushi jumps over an bomb that doesn't go off, because actually there's no bomb, only a chronometer on a box, and the situation is a test for his character in face of danger, to prove he can really work as an "armed detective".
 * Living Shadow: Rashomon is a shadow who spawns from his user that can eat, well, anything. It isn't explained what exactly that means but things are hit by it seems to disappear on thin air, making people go through an experience similar to a Portal Cut.
 * Incest Subtext: Naomi is a little too attached to her brother Tanizuka.
 * Invisibility: Tanizuka's ability allows him to blend with the environment seamlessly.
 * Power Incontinence: Atsushi's ability activated and went out of control sometimes before the events of the first chapter, to the point he had no idea he was the "tiger" the Detective Agency was hunting.
 * Power Nullifier: Osamu's ability allows him to make any abilities that get near to him to deactivate.
 * Reformed Criminal: At the end of Chapter 4, is revealed that Osamu used to be a mafia member.
 * Semantic Superpower: Kunikida's can create objects from drawings he does on paper, which is limited by the size of the paper itself.
 * Tomato Surprise: At the end of the first chapter, Atsushi is told he is the tiger he's trying to ran away from.
 * The Smurfette Principle: Subverted. At first Akiko seems to be the only female member of the detective agency. By the second chapter we're introduced to Naomi, who was posing as a hostage for a secret test for Atsushi.