In the world of Bungo Stray Dogs, characters such as Atsushi, Dazai, Chuuya, and Akutagawa are given a lot of love and attention. Rightfully so, as these are some of the main characters. However, others deserve to receive more attention by the fandom than they are given. Here is our list of 10 underrated characters in Bungo Stray Dogs. Warning: This article contains anime and manga spoilers.
10 Underrated Characters in Bungo Stray Dogs
Based on the manga written by Kafka Asagiri, Bungo Stray Dogs follows different organizations in Yokohama that are working to keep the city safe in their own ways. Each character in the series is named after well-known authors from around the world. Most of them have supernatural abilities. We have put together a list of underrated characters in Bungo Stray Dogs that we believe are under-appreciated.
10. Junichiro Tanizaki
Junichiro might be quiet and mild-mannered, but he is still an incredibly useful and important member of the Armed Detective Agency. His ability, Light Snow, allows him to create illusions around his target that alters reality. This makes it difficult for the enemy to figure out what Junichiro’s comrades are doing on the outside. We have seen numerous times where Light Snow comes to save multiple lives, including his sister’s and his own.
9. Lucy Montgomery
Lucy is a member of the American group, The Guild. Her ability, Anne of Abyssal Red, creates “Anne’s Room.” This room is a space in another dimension that can only be entered by whoever Lucy transports. Without access to this ability, it would be impossible for the organization to plan undercover missions or extract information from people in secret. Lucy is also loyal to specific people versus following an organization blindly. In the end, she chooses to help Atsushi and the Armed Detective Agency instead of running away or going back to The Guild.
8. Higuchi Ichiyō
Higuchi is an underrated Bungo Stray Dogs character who can hold her own. She is a member of the Port Mafia with no special ability. However, her loyalty to her superiors and the organization make her a force to be reckoned with. She has strong leadership skills and is an excellent marksman. While her loyalty to Akutagawa in particular could be considered an obsession, she has come to his aide and rescue (to his dismay) several times.
7. Ryūrō Hirotsu
Hirotsu is the leader of the Port Mafia’s Black Lizard group. The Black Lizard’s members are some of the most lethal members of the Mafia. Hirotsu’s ability, Falling Camellia, makes him a dangerous foe as he can cause whatever he touches to fly backwards with incredible force. He is a long-time member of the Port Mafia as well and uses his wisdom and level-headed decision making to help keep the members of the Mafia in line.
6. Gin Akutagawa
Gin is mysterious. Gin is also Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s sister and a member of the Port Mafia’s Black Lizard. She is a high-level assassin that is skilled with blades. Most enemies do not hear her coming before it is too late. She is a woman of few words, but her actions speak louder than she ever needs to speak.
5. Katai Tayama
Katai only appears in a couple of episodes, but he is an underrated character that deserves more attention. He is a former member of the Armed Detective Agency who specializes in electronics. His ability, Futon, makes it so he can manipulate the signal of any electronic device and use it for his own sake. This allows him to control the device and absorb the information stored inside. With an ability like this one, no one is safe as long as Katai has a device he can connect to to gain information. However, his teammates do need to give him a reason to get off of his actual futon before he agrees to help.
4. Francis Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is the leader of the American organization, The Guild. While he may be all about the money, his strength and ability are powerful. The Great Fitzgerald takes the money he has in any of his bank accounts and converts it into physical strength and endurance. In his fight against Atsushi and Akutagawa in season 2, spending everything he had left made him almost unbeatable by two of the strongest ability users in the series. Fitzgerald then builds himself up from nothing, with the help of Louisa May Alcott, and proves to be an important ally.
3. Ango Sakaguchi
Ango is an important part of the Bungo Stray Dogs series. Ango’s ability is incredibly useful in extracting information without doing so on another person. His ability, Discourse on Decadence, gives him the power to read memories attached to objects. At first, audiences are led to believe that Ango betrays the Port Mafia (and almost every organization with which he is involved). However, Ango is working behind the scenes to make sure Dazai is taken care of, as per Oda’s wishes. Ango’s loyalties lie with Dazai, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Dazai on the path that helps people.
2. Edgar Allan Poe
Poe is the third highest ranking member of The Guild. He has spent most of his adulthood coming up with mystery stories that will impress Ranpo Edogawa. This dedication has honed his ability, Black Cat in the Rue Morgue, to become stronger and far more useful to both The Guild and the Armed Detective Agency. He transports people into his stories and can either trap them there until they can solve the mystery or choose to release them on his own. On top of that, he has become a perfect match to work with Ranpo on current cases in the series. He’s a top-notch sniper and a brilliant mastermind.
1. Michizō Tachihara
The most underrated character in Bungo Stray Dogs is Tachihara. Tachihara is a complex character who we first meet as a member of the Port Mafia’s Black Lizard group. He works alongside Gin and under Hirotsu, and the three of them make an excellent team. Tachihara cares about his comrades and works hard to protect the Port Mafia…or so we were led to believe. In season 4, we find out that he was working undercover for the Hunting Dogs group in order to exact revenge for his brother. His ability to manipulate metal is unlike any other ability, and because he is part of the Hunting Dogs, he has beyond super-human strength and prowess in a fight. However, Tachihara finds himself torn when he does realize how much he has grown to admire his Black Lizard teammates. This shows that, while at first he was blindly following orders to exact revenge, he is capable of thinking for himself and discovers where his loyalties do lie in the end.
